A Rocky Road
by errobotter
Summary: Rewrite/Revamp of Forevermore, my first Fanfiction story. This is a tale of Harry and Hermione's effort to free Harry from his destiny. Slight Weasley Bashing and Main Character Deaths in the later chapters. Cannon-esque, but later chapters diverge much more radically. TO BE CONTINUED...
1. Lost and Found

**AN: Hi everyone! In an attempt to get past the writer's block that has prevented me from updating my other stories I have decided to return to my first story and make some corrections. Most things will remain the same, but others will be tweaked. If you are finding this story for the first time then I hope that you enjoy it and see it through to the end. Of course, I still don't own Harry Potter or any affiliated material. With that in mind, take a trip into my AU and experience **_**A Rocky Road.**_

**Chapter 1**

Stealing the locket from under Dolores Umbridge's nose had seemed like a monumental occasion. Sitting in Hogwarts, as a wizard in his fifth year of magical education, Harry Potter never would have imagined that he would have been able to successfully break into the Ministry of Magic; allegedly one of the most secure places in magical Britain, twice before his scheduled graduation from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The shadow of a grin started to make its way across Harry's face as he remembered the hope he heard in the voices of those who recognized him during his last mission to the ministry when the polyjuice potion wore off. However, the grin was stopped cold when Harry realized that each trip to the ministry ended up costing him someone very important.

Harry's first unsanctioned trip to the Ministry of Magic was an attempt to rescue Sirius Black, one of the only people Harry could count on for unconditional support, from the clutches of Lord Voldemort. Harry gritted his teeth as he was briefly assaulted by guilt, Sirius died as a result of Harry failing to master the ability required to shield his mind from Voldemort's influence and, consequently, rushing into a trap. Although Harry had since been able to come to terms with the events of that night; he was continually weighed down by the fact that Sirius would never have been drawn into the room with the Veil, if not for a father-like obligation to ensure Harry's well-being after involuntarily condemning Harry to suffer at the hands of the Dursleys, while he spent twelve years in Azkaban.

Harry had moved on from the perpetual feelings of guilt when he realized that, although he was partially responsible, there were other individuals who were at least equally, if not more, guilty. He realized that Sirius had died just the way he would have hoped for, in the unfortunate situation that would result in his death; he went out in a high-stakes duel while protecting Harry from his mad cousin. Harry didn't have time to dwell on what could have happened or to play the blame game. The magical world was at war and, whether he liked it or not, he was destined to be one of the deciding players.

The second trip to the Ministry of Magic cost Harry his first friend, Ron Weasley. Over the course of their journey, Harry, Ron, and Hermione Granger were each exposed to the corrupting power of one of Voldemort's horcruxas as they took turns wearing the vile object. The locket that housed a portion of Voldemort's soul amplified negative emotions and its influence could only be overpowered by strong positive emotions. Harry winced as reflected upon the previous afternoon.

_Flashback_

Hermione and Harry were together at the edge of their camp and Hermione was helping Harry perfect the Protego Totalum spell.

"Harry, this should be easy for you. The only difference between this spell and the standard Protego shield is that you have a clear picture of the area that you want to protect and the spells that your shield will potentially be protecting you against. The intent of your spell is of paramount importance; the more spells that you envision your shield protecting you from, the more protection your shield will provide."

"Alright, point your wand towards the sky. The wand movements are: left-swish, right-diagonal down-slash, up-flick, left-diagonal down-slash, up-flick, 180° wrist rotation," Harry pantomimed drawing a house in the air with his wand before nodding to Hermione. "Protego Totalum!"

Pillars of cerulean blue light shot from Harry and Hermione's wands toward the sky over the camp creating a dome. Once the dome was complete the color changed from a cerulean blue to a royal blue and Hermione shrieked in surprise. Harry only just had time to lower his wand before Hermione threw her arms around him in a congratulatory hug. "Harry, you can tell the strength of this spell by how dark the protection dome shines before it fades away. That was amazing!"

"Oi, what the bloody-hell are you two doing," Ron had appeared wearing the horcrux. "You two stick me with this bloody horcrux for hours on end so that you can have a good snog. This is your grand plan, isn't it, Harry? You get Hermione to run away with you by pretending all the while that you have some noble mission to destroy Voldemort. If this is what you've been aiming at then why have we been hiding? Every day, people die and we do nothing to help them. You pretend to want to help people when you really just want to help yourself!"

Hermione had moved away from Harry and was getting closer to Ron. "Ron, it's not like that. We all wear the locket! I was just congratulating Harry on mastering the shield charm. Our campsite is now protected by a royal blue shield…"

"I know what I saw," Ron interrupted. "I saw the look on your face. I saw the way you threw yourself at him. I heard you telling him how 'amazing' it was; you aren't the only one who can put two and two together, Hermione."

"Ron, you are being a bloody git right now," Harry said in a measured voice. "Your eyes are playing tricks on you. Take off the horcrux and you'll realize that you are blowing things way out of proportion."

"Don't try to tell me what to do, Harry," Ron angrily replied. "This is just like you, always trying to pass the blame. How about I do you one better? I'll take off the bloody horcrux then I'll take off, myself. That way this trip can be everything that you and Hermione want it to be. Goodbye, Harry."

Hermione was stunned as she heard the words coming out of Ron's mouth. She saw him taking off the horcrux and throwing it on the ground. She wanted to tell him that he was being ridiculous but she couldn't say anything to prevent him from going because she was frozen. In horror, she watched as Ron made his way beyond the protection spells before disapparating. Once she regained control of her body, she ran like a woman possessed in the direction that Ron had went while screaming his name. Her screams gave way to heavy sobs as she wept for the friend that had abandoned her. Eventually the sun setting on the horizon told Hermione that Ron truly was gone. Defeated, she made her way back to the campsite and disappeared into the tent.

_End Flashback_

Harry wanted to believe that event had never happened but could not pretend that Ron had not deserted Hermione and him. Ron saw a friendly touch and immediately assumed amorous motives. He refused to listen to reason or hear the truth in Harry and Hermione's words. Ron left.

When Ron left, Hermione, who had been forced to bear the same burden, was overcome with despair but she did not snap in the way that Ron did; her loyalty would never allow her to abandon a friend that she had pledged to help. However, her vision of the perfect future, one in which she, Harry, and Ron could pick up the lives they lead before Voldemort's return once they succeeded in destroying the horcruxes, and Voldemort himself, was shattered. She knew that, although Harry could probably forgive Ron for leaving when they needed him the most, she could never forget that cowardly act of treason.

Gryffindors are supposed to be brave; Harry attempted to live up to the defining characteristic of his house when he approached a frigid Hermione. After she shouted herself hoarse, screaming after Ron, she returned to the tent, not saying a word. Harry knew that he would need to be careful in order to avoid an explosive situation with Hermione. He had seen more than one wizard on the wrong side of her anger and had no inclination to add his name to that list. So, instead of words, he sat next to her on her bed and opened his arms to her.

This was apparently the correct thing to do because, as soon as his arms had opened, Hermione's resolve broke and she launched herself into his arms, burying her face into his chest and sobbing. He closed his arms around her and offered what reassurances he could, thinking how meager they sounded after the situation they just went through. Eventually the sobs grew weaker but Harry continued rubbing her back. A short time later, the body-jerking sobs gave way to even breathing which told Harry that his friend was now asleep. As gently as he could, Harry rested his friend's head down upon her pillow. After lifting her feet onto the bed he gave her the softest kiss he could on the forehead. He was two steps away from the bed when he heard two words: don't go.

Harry was incredulous at the words that had had just come from his closest female friend. As he thought about it, he realized that it was unlikely that anyone could ever usurp Hermione's position in his heart. The horcrux had been rough on everyone; Harry would be devastated if he did something wrong and ended up forcing Hermione away too.

As if reading his mind, Hermione muttered, "After everything that has happened I can't be alone right now. First Ron leaves and now you want to leave me also? Please don't do this to me; my heart can only take so much, Harry."

"Hermione, it isn't like that. I promise. It's just that I've have lost too many people and couldn't stand it if I had to lose you also. If anything would push me over the breaking point then it would be losing you," Harry passionately replied. "You are one of the only things that let me keep my feet on the ground; without you, I would be lost."

"I think that, right now, you need this as much as I do, Harry," said Hermione, finally finding Harry's hand with her own. "You know that I have, and will, always be there for you. Right now, I need you to be there for me. Be my rock; I will always be yours. Stay with me tonight. Make me know that I didn't give up my parents just to be left behind, myself."

Those words broke Harry's resolve. Hermione occupied an incredibly powerful and influential spot in his heart and, with how many times he had been hurt throughout his life, he could not, in good conscience, deny her when such a simple request. "I'll be your rock," Harry said as he climbed into the bed. Hermione snuggled up beside him and he thought he heard a sniffle.

"I couldn't bear the thought of you leaving me also, Harry," Hermione whispered. "Hold me tight, tomorrow we will leave this place. Together, we will make it through this storm."

Morning's light woke Harry first. Being unable to see, Harry was extremely disoriented. An arm draped across his chest and the shapely leg thrown over his own elicited a reaction that thoroughly embarrassed Harry. The pressure caused by Hermione's sleeping form along with the fond memories of the times the two had spent together at Hogwarts did nothing to diminish his tension. He tried to maneuver out of the bed before Hermione awoke and found him in such a state, the prospect of which made Harry blush with embarrassment.

_Just a little bit more _he thought to himself. Harry had almost completely dislodged himself from the lag that was draped over him only to feel Hermione's hand slide down from its place on his chest and wrap around his most sensitive part.

As soon as her fingers closed down, Hermione's eyes started to flutter open. She gazed deeply and appreciatively into Harry's eyes before turning her attention in a confused manner to what she was holding in her hand. When she realized that she had inadvertently groped Harry, she shrieked while edging as far away from Harry as possible while staying on the bed.

"I am so sorry," the pair exclaimed in unison, both blushing in a way that would have made any member of the Weasley family proud.

"I couldn't help myself," Harry began to explain.

"I was having a dream," Hermione interrupted while trying to justify her actions at the same time.

"I am so embarrassed," Harry declared.

"You have no reason to be, I invited you to sleep in my bed. I wasn't thinking very clearly last night and didn't think of the possible consequences of having a hormonal teenage boy in the same bed as a hormonal teenage girl," Hermione rambled in one breath.

"I don't think I will ever live this down, will I," Harry asked.

"Well, at least I know that you were being serious when you told me last night that you would be my rock. Isn't that right?" Hermione meekly jested while raising her eyebrows and making a show of sneaking a peak towards the lower part of Harry's body.

**AN: So that was it, chapter one. Please take a second to leave a comment and tell me anything that you liked, disliked, or are confused about. I assure you that everything is happening for a reason; stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	2. A Hollow Experience

**AN: This is where the adventure really begins and the wildness truly starts to unfold. I hope you like it. Read and Review!**

**Chapter 2**

The rest of the morning was not quite as eventful for the young duo. Although they were still slightly embarrassed by the events of the morning the pair agreed that it was not too serious. The two had packed up their tent and were getting ready to disapparate to their next destination when Hermione felt a hand caress her cheek.

"Hermione, do you believe in me," Harry asked as he looked deeply into her eyes.

"Harry, you saved me from a mountain troll, you went back in time with me, and you convinced me to get on an invisible animal to break into the Ministry of Magic with you. Do you really need to ask that question," Hermione questioned, hitting him lightly on the arm.

"All of the traveling that we've been doing since we got the locket hasn't gotten us any closer to finding the answers we need to destroy the Horcrux or Voldemort. I think we need to go to Godric's Hollow," Harry said in a rush, expecting to find Hermione resistant to the idea.

"It will be dangerous; Voldemort must expect that eventually you will go there. As much as I disapprove of knowingly walking into potentially dangerous situations, I agree," Hermione surprised Harry by saying. "We need to find a lead. Right now, we are no closer to finding the next horcrux than we are to destroying the locket. We'll go in, look for any clues and get out. Hopefully, we can avoid being seen by anyone."

"I'm glad that I didn't have to fight you on this," Harry admitted. "I need to see where it happened. I need to see the place where I stopped being a normal kid and became the boy-who-lived. I need to see the spot where my parents made their last stand against Voldemort."

"Well, I couldn't have you going off by yourself," Hermione replied as she wrapped her arms around Harry. "I promised that I would be your rock and I couldn't make you go through all of that alone. You showed me that you could be a rock this morning, I need to return the favor."

"Hermione," Harry laughed, as he threw his invisibility cloak over the two of them.

"Don't worry, it will be our little secret," Hermione purred as she whisked them off to Godric's Hollow.

Fat snowflakes were drifting toward the ground when the pair apparated into Godric's Hollow. Harry's heart was warmed when he looked out upon the village. Each building had its own distinct personality; by looking at the shops and the houses, Harry got the feeling that growing up in this village would have been the complete opposite of his up-bringing at the Dursleys.

With Harry contemplating how different a childhood in Godric's Hollow would be from his childhood on Privet Drive, the pair slowly made their way through the village. Still under his invisibility cloak, the two further hid themselves from the wandering eye by using magic to prevent tracks being made in the snow.

"That must be it," Hermione gestured to the ruins of what was once a respectable house. "There is a monument, should we go closer?"

"I'm getting a bad feeling from the place; I think Voldemort may have come here before us. I feel something dark ahead. Maybe he warded the site in some way to alert him if I stepped on the property," Harry said to a very surprised Hermione. "That must sound a bit paranoid but he must have assumed that, since we haven't been captured yet, eventually I would be drawn to this place."

As Harry finished the last sentence he felt something pressing into his neck. "If you are who you claim to be then you need to prove it. I may not be the most powerful witch in the world; but, if you have harmed Harry in any way, you will suffer."

"Blimey, Hermione," Harry exclaimed at her sudden change in demeanor. "The spell combination that you used on Ron, when he burst into the classroom we had used to escape him and his Lav-Lav, was the Avis charm followed by Opugno. Your boggart is Professor McGonagall telling you that you failed your end-of-year exams. You were the first to realize that, in order to levitate a feather, the incantation is Le-vio-sa, not Levi-o-sah. Do I need to keep going?"

"No, that was more than enough. I was just shocked at the logic that you used when looking at the remnants of your parents' house. It put me on edge," Hermione explained to a Harry who appeared to be on the losing battle to keep from bursting out in laughter.

"Professor Moody always preached constant vigilance, right?"

With that, the tension was broken and the pair burst out in laughter.

Far away, in the Malfoy manor Lord Voldemort twirled his wand between his fingers contemplating which, among the many wards he cast, would be the one that Potter would set off first. Of course, he had plans for each ward set. However, his most diabolical plan involved sending Nagini to assume the identity of the late Bathilda Bagshot in order to lure Harry into a place that would prevent his escape thus assuring his painful demise.

"Lucius, I do not tolerate failure. Yet, once again, I find that my domination has not been as complete as you have led me to believe. With the death of the Old Fool, my power is beyond question. Yet there are still those who dare to question me. I have more pressing issues to tend to, but I expect that you encourage the man behind the Quibbler to acknowledge his role in the new magical order. Fetch his daughter and make sure that he realizes what the consequences will be if he dares to defy my will."

"Yes, my lord," Lucius Malfoy reverently responded. "I will go at once."

"Do not fail me Lucius, my Bellatrix will be here with a watchful eye on Narcissa and young Draco. She is always looking for new ways to prove her devotion to me," Voldemort threatened in a silky voice. "If she hasn't had the opportunity to speak with the Lovegood girl by the time I have returned then you know what the consequences will be. If you want to keep your free will then you have to prove to me that you deserve it, otherwise it will be mine."

"That will not be necessary, my lord. Xenophilius Lovegood will tremble before your name and the Quibbler will cause you no more trouble," Lucius quickly replied before leaving the room.

_Let Lucius scramble to clean up this mess. The wand maker has already told me what I need to know. _Voldemort thought while rising from his throne-like chair. _Potter, you will not survive our next encounter. I will find what has been lost and victory will be mine. Be ready, Gregorovich, I will see you soon._

Unaware of the danger that they had inadvertently avoided, Harry and Hermione walked hand-in-hand down the main street in Godric's Hollow toward the only source of noise, besides themselves, in the quiet village. In front of them they saw a church, which caused a light-bulb to turn on over Hermione's head.

"Of course, Harry why would the only source of noise in the whole village be a church in the middle of winter," she asked, knowing that Harry would be able to answer to such an obvious question.

"It must be Christmas," Harry exclaimed. The two quickened their pace, heartened by their revelation. Approaching the church, Harry saw something in the distance that brought him back to reality. "Hermione, I think that's _the_ cemetery."

"We'll go together," Hermione said before Harry had the chance to specify, not that he needed to. The pair slowly ventured into the cemetery. Once inside, they split up in order to cover more ground. As if under a compulsion charm, Harry almost immediately found the tombstone he had been dreading. His parent's tombstone was simple, yet elegant. Hermione must have seen him slump to the ground because she was there in a second.

"I'm here for you, Harry. You are not alone," she said consolingly. "You will never be alone. We are in each other's hearts and that will never change."

Harry couldn't answer her immediately. He had known all his life that his parents were dead but this tombstone literally cemented the fact for him. Harry felt Hermione's warmth as she wrapped her body around his in order to emphasize that he wasn't alone. He looked up from the tombstone and into her eyes and knew that she was telling the truth. In the bathroom, as a first-year Harry had unwittingly found one of the people that he knew, without a doubt, would stand by him for the rest of his life. Overcome by the depth of emotion that Harry felt for her at that moment, he did the only thing that he could think of to show just how much she meant to him; he kissed her.

To say that Hermione was surprised was an understatement. She had loved Harry since the first-year and had always regretted not telling him before he went through the fire to face Voldemort. However, he had never done anything to show that he liked her as anything more than a friend. Even that kiss, as passionate as it was, did not tell her that he exactly reciprocated her feelings. Before Hogwarts, Harry had never truly felt love and, Hermione knew, although he was more familiar with it after the last six and a half years; he was still relatively inexperienced. She had been sending him a lot of love and, whether or not he shared the depth of her love, he was moved to respond. After the event following Ron's departure Hermione knew that something had changed in her relationship with Harry, but she would never push him because she knew how he would pull away at the thought of putting her in more danger.

"Harry, come with me. I think I found the clue that we were looking for." Hermione said offering him her best smile and an enticing view as she got off the ground in front of him and sauntered away in the direction that she had come from. Harry was up in a flash, his mind still processing everything that had happened over the last few minutes.

"What is it, Hermione?" He asked as he looked at the Peverell tombstones.

Pulling out the _Tales of Beedle the Bard, _Hermione opened to the front cover. "Look, the symbol is repeated on the cover page. Dumbledore gave this to me for a reason; it can't be a coincidence that a symbol from the graveyard of your parents would be found in the margins of the first page."

Harry contemplated for a second before yielding to Hermione's logic. "Alright, that might be the case, but what now? We know that symbol is important, but we still don't have a new destination."

"Harry, we do," Hermione exclaimed. "Think back to Bill and Fleur's wedding. What do you remember? If you are tactless enough to say the way that Fleur or her sister looked in their dresses then you will be spending the rest of Christmas alone."

Harry chuckled at Hermione. "Didn't Krum get in a fight with someone because they were wearing that symbol?"

"Precisely, the man wearing the symbol was none other than Luna Lovegood's father," Hermione declared beaming. "Ask and you shall receive. We now have a destination; although, it is unlikely that the Lovegoods are accepting visitors at this hour. Therefore, I think that we will need to go elsewhere and continue our search in the morning."

"I agree, after all this time in the cold, a little bit of warmth and relaxation is just what the doctor ordered," Harry said taking Hermione into his arms and disapparating.


	3. Beneath the Surface

******AN: Sorry for the delayed update, it was my plan to update daily after the first submission but when I went to publish this chapter I realized that FanFiction had deleted my line-breaks. As simple as the solution to this problem was, for some reason my "smart phone" refused to allow me to add line-breaks. Anyway, here is the next chapter. I still don't own Harry Potter. Read, review, and make me a happy author. Thanks!**

**Chapter 3**

Upon arriving to the Forest of Dean, Hermione realized that she was clutching Harry for more tightly than the situation called for and quickly moved off to begin weaving their web of defensive spells. Harry assisted her but, although Harry was now as proficient as Hermione at the protective spells that the pair employed in order to protect the camp, it was Hermione who cast the blanket-warming charm that would insulate their camp from the frigid air. Together, they secured their campsite and were able to create a shelter that they were confident could withstand just about anything and anyone, short of Voldemort himself.

Once they had secured the area, the two were entering the tent when Harry saw something flash in his peripheral vision. Not wanting to alert Hermione, who was currently wearing the Horcrux, he told her that he needed to take a walk to think through all that had occurred in Godric's Hollow and that he should be back within the hour before slipping away. Harry thought he heard something about warming up in her response as he began to make his way toward the mysterious source of light, but was too intent on making sure that he did not lose sight of it to truly pay attention.

As quickly as he could, Harry made his way toward where he thought he saw the flash but, no matter how hard he pushed himself, he could tell that it would shortly be lost to him. Eventually, he found himself at a glimmering pond that had somehow not frozen over and, although the source of the flash had vanished, he saw a sword gleaming from the bottom of the pond. Acting on a hunch, Harry cast a warming charm on himself before jumping in. After a short swim, Harry managed to make it to the bottom of the pond and grab the sword. When he emerged, a quick inspection verified his hunch; miraculously, he had managed to find the sword of Godric Gryffindor.

Eager to show Hermione what he found, Harry sprinted back to the tent and burst through the door. He expected Hermione to be surprised when he showed her that he had found the sword of Gryffindor. However, racing through the tent to find her and share the good news, it was Harry's mouth that dropped when he breezed into a room and found Hermione. Reclining in an iron-clawed bathtub, she was truly breathtaking sight; her eyes closed, a smirk making its way across her face, her ears beneath the water, her hair fanning out like a mane around her candle-lit face, and the shimmering horcrux dipping into an ample amount of cleavage before disappearing beneath the bubbles on the waterline.

* * *

Behind the safety of the spell-web, in the warmth of a magically heated bath, Hermione was taking a much needed opportunity to unwind. She placed her hands on her neck and began a slow rub-down that would take her hands over her chest, down her perfectly flat stomach, along her shapely hips, down the outside of her legs, and finally up the inside of her legs.

Hermione was no longer in control of her body; she was a captive who needed release. Today, she had woken up with considerable proof that Harry Potter was no longer the little boy from first-year in her hand. Her friend was no longer a little boy and she could not stop thinking about him. The thoughts caused her to lose herself in the soothing waters of her bath. She leaned back and, in a state of bliss, marveled at how perfect her bath had been.

Several minutes later, she felt a breeze enter the room. Initially she was worried but as she remembered the royal-blue shield that she and Harry had been able to create reassured her that the chance of anyone besides her or Harry entering their protective web of spells was extremely small. A contented smirk began to make its way across her face before her eyes snapped open. For the second time in a very short while Harry was exposed to a shrieking Hermione Granger.

* * *

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! GET OUT OF THIS ROOM, RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Hermione screamed, as her arms crossed her body to make sure that she was not exposing herself.

"I'm sorry," Harry shouted, blushing profusely as he quickly shut himself out of the room. The whole event had taken less than five seconds but Harry was sure that the image would be seared in his memory for the rest of his life. She was his best friend. She was one of the most beautiful women that he had ever met in his life. She was going to be out for blood.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! I demand that you tell me why you thought you had the right to barge in on me while I was in my bath! I told you before you left that I was going to be taking one to warm up, so don't you dare pretend that you didn't know what I was going to be doing," Hermione was on a roll and Harry knew that he needed to intervene before things got even more out of hand. Although Hermione had covered herself in a robe, Harry could still see the gleam of the horcrux.

"Hermione, I'm sorry," Harry interrupted. "When I was leaving, I wasn't sure what I heard. I saw a flash of light that looked like a spell in the woods and didn't want to worry you. So I followed the strange light to a small pond where I lost it." With the last sentence Harry trailed off and looked down at the floor for a second. He heard Hermione taking the breath that would undoubtedly lead nowhere good for Harry, so before she could begin he pulled out the sword of Gryffindor from behind his back and added, "Where I found the sword of Gryffindor."

Hermione squealed in delight and started to make her way toward Harry to give him a hug when she fell to the ground clutching her throat.

In his concern for his friend Harry rushed to her aid and realized that the horcrux was the cause of Hermione's distress. "Hermione, I need you to trust me. Do. Not. Move!"

Although Hermione could not respond vocally, due to the increasing pressure of the horcrux on her throat, she stopped struggling. Luckily, she was facing the floor when she stopped moving and Gryffindor's sword sliced through the chain of the horcrux and buried itself into the floor, inches from her face. Released from the horcrux' death grip Hermione threw the remaining portion of the locket against the far wall on the room. With everything that had just happened, there was only one thing that Hermione could do. She threw her arms around Harry and, in between her sobs, managed to let him know just how much she valued having him as a part of her life.

"I'm glad that you're here for me, Rocky. You once again managed to save my life," Hermione murmured. "I'm still not happy about you bursting into me while I was in the bath, but I suppose you earned one get-out-of-jail free card by saving my life." Hermione said with a trace of a smile slightly tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. There was a light outside of our defensive spells and while I was worried about finding out if there was reason for us to be concerned and I didn't properly hear you," Harry explained. "As much as I value your forgiveness, we aren't quite out of the woods yet. We still have to destroy the locket."

Hermione's attention was ripped away from her savior as she was forced to acknowledge the item that had recently attempted to kill her. "Which of us should do it? I knew that horcruxes were dark magic, but it's almost as if the horcrux knew that that sword was one of the things that could destroy it and it attacked me in order to save itself."

"Hermione, I think it has to be you. The locket reacted to you. You need to be the one." Harry handed Hermione the sword of Gryffindor then went to retrieve the locket. "We should do this outside, if it is anything like the diary then there will probably be a huge magical backlash when it is destroyed."

Thinking about the damage that the locket had done to Harry and her friendships with Ron in addition to its attempt to kill her, Hermione knew that there was no time to waste. "Let's do it now," she said while leading the way out of the tent and into a clearing just beyond the reach of the defensive spells. "This way we won't have to worry about the magical backlash destroying either our tent or our protective spells. Open it Harry, it was Slytherin's locket. I think we both know what you need to do."

In Parseltounge, Harry was able to command the locket to open. Harry dropped the locket and stumbled backwards as two ghostly figures sprouted from the locket.

"Who could love you, a know-it-all who just doesn't know when to close her mouth? I'm Harry Potter, the savior of the wizard world. I could have anyone, why would I put up with a consolation prize like you when I could have someone truly worthy of my affections?" The spectral image of Harry addressed Hermione, before brushing the ghostly hair out of the eyes of his companion.

Hermione screamed when she realized that the apparition's companion was none other than Fleur Weasley née Delacour.


	4. His Word, His Honor

******AN: Things really start rolling with this chapter. If you like it then you should let me know! I currently have a huge story arc planned out but if, when I get to the last chapter that I have already written (7), I feel like there hasn't been adequate feedback then I will take that as a sign that I should just use the time what I would spend writing for something else. Anyway, here is the next chapter. Read and Review!**

**Chapter 4**

"Why would 'arry want you? You revel when you are called zhe brightest witch of your age, but you are not even a Ravenclaw." The spectral Fleur scoffed. "You know zhat you cannot compete wiz women like me for Harry's affections. A muggle-born like you can never be ze woman zhat Harry needs by his side. Even if you brewed zhe strongest love potion you knew, you could never compare to a witch like me. I was in zhe Tri-Wizard tournament wiz Harry. I faced ze dangers while you sat on zhe sidelines."

"She's right, Hermione," The apparition of Harry interjected. "Hermione, you were nothing more than extra inches on my class essays. Every one of my other friends has proven their worth while fighting beside me. You've frozen up every time I needed you. First, when we were first-years and I was about to face Voldemort alone. Again, as a second-year when I had to face a sixty-foot Basilisk. Finally, when we went to the Ministry of Magic to rescue Sirius, it was you who failed me. The spell that you cast on the doors in the rotating room wore off when we needed them the most. A person like Fleur would be there for me if I needed her. A person like Fleur would never make a mistake like that in the midst of battle."

With that, the clothing that the two spectral figures had been wearing vanished. Leaving two perfectly formed bodies intertwined in a passionate embrace. Luckily for Hermione, and Harry's modesty, the locket obscured the lower parts of their bodies.

However, more of the ghosts appeared with each second. Harry saw the tears streaming down Hermione's face and knew that she needed some encouragement. "Hermione, I know that you will always be there for me; you are my rock. I believe in you!"

As if she snapped out of a trance, Hermione raised the sword of Gryffindor above her head and, after bringing it down in arc, smashed it into the locket.

Immediately, the ghostly figures of Harry and Fleur disappeared while the real Harry and Hermione were thrown back by the blast of magic. Harry quickly got up, but was concerned to see that Hermione had not moved from her spot on the ground. Rushing over, Harry scooped his friend up and carried her into the tent. With Hermione's body pressed against his, Harry did his best not to think about the fact that Hermione the only thing that separated him from Hermione's body was a robe. As Harry laid Hermione down her eyes fluttered open.

"Harry, we need to talk about today," Hermione said repositioning herself underneath the covers so that she had more than just a robe in between her and her friend.

Harry sat down next to Hermione, on the bed. "Hermione, I hope that you know that what you heard in the clearing is not even close to how I feel or think about you. You are one of the most amazing people in my life. You stayed by my side, even when the Ministry and the Daily Prophet turned everyone else against me. You believed me, even when my other best friend thought I was lying. You are my rock, having you in my life is what keeps me doing what is right, instead of what is easy."

Hermione had visibly perked up since Harry began talking. No longer wallowing in self-doubt, she was able to meet Harry's concerned glance and see his commitment toward her. "Thank you, Harry. You have no idea what a relief it is for me to hear you say that. I try to be perfect; I try to be all that you could ever need. When you were in the tournament I couldn't be out there with you so I did my best to make sure that you learned all the spells that you would need. Can you forgive me for not being out there with you?" Hermione quietly asked.

"Hermione, I never wanted to be in that tournament; if not for the Death Eater disguised as Moody then I would have been more than content to watch with you from the side-lines. You are, and have always been, one of the most talented and beautiful girls that I have ever known. Even when you were a bushy-haired first-year, who was a little demanding, you showed me two things that had been missing in the first eleven years of my life: love and loyalty. Against your better judgment, at risk of being killed, or worse, expelled, you came with me to save the Sorcerer's Stone. You worry that you missed a chance in that final room before I met Voldemort but there is no need to worry. Although I didn't know consciously, I knew that you cared about me more deeply than probably anyone else had, up to that point. What's more important, unlike the pure-blood witches, who grew up dreaming about marrying someone who became famous for something that they couldn't even remember, you grew to love me for me."

By this time Hermione was once again crying, but finally there were tears of joy. "Harry, it means so much for you to care enough about me to tell me all of this. My heart has ached for too long because of these thoughts. I will always be there for you; I love you. Please be here for me again tonight, I promise that, even though you tried to sneak a peek at me in the bath, I will be nice even if your alter-ego Rocky pops out."

"Her-Hermione, you're going to sleep in your robe?" Harry stammered at the proposition.

"Just think of it as a Christmas present. I know that you'll be a good boy, Rocky. Now come to bed, it has been a long day and we still have to go and visit the Lovegoods in the morning." Hermione said while turning away from Harry thus presenting a very spoonable backside.

Harry did not want to look his gift horse in the mouth, so he stripped down to his boxers and snuggled up behind his long-time friend. Lifting his body up so that he could whisper into her ear, Harry said, "I will love you forever Hermione, never doubt that. You are my rock; you are the most important thing in my world."

* * *

The next morning came too soon for Harry and Hermione. The brisk morning air made leaving the bubble of warmth they created under the covers all the more difficult. However, despite the coziness of a shared bed, Hermione made herself wake up first on this particular morning. She did this partly because she wanted to avoid a repeat of the previous morning and partly because she made the rash decision of going to bed in a robe instead of actual clothing the previous night.

Harry was still sleeping as Hermione got dressed. A part of Hermione wanted Harry to wake-up while she was changing so that he could have an unobstructed view of her body. He had told her that he thought she was beautiful the night before, but she needed him to look at her as she was and tell her that he felt the same way.

Although she knew his hormones would jump at the opportunity; she also knew that theirs was a situation that should be taken one step at a time. The day before was the first time that they had admitted to having deeper feelings about one-another than the average friendship warranted. Additionally, they had become more acquainted with each other's bodies than Hermione had expected to be, with any man, for quite some time. She had to admit to herself; when Harry's alter-ego, Rocky, came out, he was quite the manly specimen, indeed. Hermione changed quickly before returning to wake Harry.

* * *

"Maybe instead of me venturing out at this absurd hour, you should come back under the covers," Harry gruffly responded to Hermione, who had just suggested that the early bird will catch the worm.

"Harry, you know that getting to the Lovegoods' is important. Dumbledore gave me that book for a reason. Last night we destroyed a horcrux and obtained the means to destroy the other horcruxes when we find them," Hermione stated in a business-like fashion.

Harry, however, was unmoved by Hermione's speech. So, he covered his face with a pillow to block out the light that was starting to stream into the tent.

Hermione, not wanting to be ignored, climbed on the bed and did something that Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet had guaranteed would never fail to wake a sleeping male. She straddled Harry and began rocking her hips back and forth as she sung out his name, "Harry, oh Harry. Do get up for me."

The combination of her seductive voice and her gyrating hips caused a reaction that Harry was unable to ignore and that elicited a giggle from Hermione.

"There you are Rocky, I'm glad one of you will pay attention to me. Let Harry know that if he isn't out of bed this minute then I will pull off these covers so that I can finally get to know what you look like." Hermione caught the pillow that Harry tossed at her before singing out, "Thank you Rocky."

After getting dressed, Harry met Hermione in front of the tent. A few minutes later, they were standing under Harry's invisibility cloak preparing to disapparate to the Lovegood property.

"I hope that Luna is there," Hermione said, excitedly.

"Getting bored of me already, I see how it is," Harry joked.

"Shush, you know that's not what I meant," she replied lightly swatting his arm.

"Remind me again why we're under the invisibility cloak, Hermione."

"Were going under the invisibility cloak because we can't see where we are going," Hermione said as if that was the most obvious statement in the world. "Since we can't see where we are going, I want to make sure that we aren't accidentally spotted when we get there."

* * *

Harry accepted Hermione's logic and moments later, the pair apparated at the edge of the Lovegood wards. Hermione had remembered Ginny mentioning that the Lovegoods shared a property line with the Weasley family; it was just a lucky guess that placed Harry and Hermione on the correct border. However, what the pair saw made them sick. An unconscious Luna was being carried from the house by a masked Death Eater while Lucius Malfoy and another man in Death Eater attire kept their wands trained on Luna's father. Hermione was able to prevent Harry from rushing out to save their friend but couldn't stop him from edging them toward the scene. As they got closer they heard Lucius' voice.

"We warned you Lovegood; we warned you that it was unwise to print lies about the Dark Lord in that pathetic excuse for a paper. Now your daughter will join me as a house guest until such time that you can redeem yourself in the eyes of the Dark Lord," Lucius drawled with evident delight. "Rest assured that, even though she comes from a family of blood traitors, your daughter will be spared from the full extent of the Dark Lord's wrath; after-all the Dark Lord hates to shed precious pure blood. Of course, the Dark Lord is incredibly skilled with magic that makes physical harm superfluous. He is particularly fond of the Cruciatus curse which, under normal circumstances, leaves the victim physically unharmed. That is, unless they attack themselves in order to escape from the magnitude of pain that the Cruciatus is renowned for causing."

"No, don't take her," wailed Xenophilius Lovegood. "Please, take me instead. Leave my daughter out of it and take me!"

"My dear friend, if I was to do that then who would be stationed in this house with incentive to call the Dark Lord if Potter and his good-for-nothing friends were to visit," Lucius asked.

"So that's it, if Potter and his friends show up and I turn them into you then you'll let my Luna go?" Xenophilius asked desperately.

"You have my word, Lovegood," Lucius said an instant before he then his two cronies disappeared, taking Luna with them. Xenophilius slumped to the ground, banging his fist and wailing Luna's name.

As soon as the Death Eaters left, Harry wanted to go talk to him but, once again, Hermione restrained him. Eventually Xenophilius went inside, unknowingly allowing Harry and Hermione the distance they needed in order to figure out what they were going to do next. They still had to speak with Xenophilius about the symbol, but they could not risk being captured. They needed to get into the Malfoy manor, but wouldn't be able to do that without risking their lives and all that they had worked so hard to achieve.


	5. From Words to Actions

******AN: So this chapter involves a lot of plot building. I hope that you enjoy it. I just finished chapter 8 and I am super happy with it. Reviews encourage my writing. I still don't own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 5**

After the exchange Harry and Hermione had just witnessed, they knew that speaking with Xenophilius Lovegood could potentially be very dangerous to them. However, Xenophilius knew about the symbol from the graveyard and was the only lead in Harry and Hermione's quest for information. Xenophilius, although mocked for being the eccentric publisher of the _Quibbler_, was unpredictable at the best of times and would be more so after the Death Eaters had kidnapped his daughter.

Harry and Hermione could not risk being captured; they needed to get into the Malfoy manor, but wouldn't be able to do that without risking their lives and all that they had worked so hard to achieve. The situation seemed very bleak, Harry was the one to first break the silence.

"We can't let them get away with this. Luna was at the ministry with us; there is no telling what they will do to her," Harry said while shuttering at the thought.

"We can't trust Mr. Lovegood right now. Did you see the look in his eyes when Lucius told him that Luna would be freed if he was able to turn us in," Hermione asked as she brushed her hair back and gazed upon the Lovegood residence. "He wouldn't think twice about turning us over if it could result in Luna being returned to him."

"I know that we don't have the best track record when it comes to them, but I have a plan," Harry declared to an apprehensive looking Hermione. "If we go in now, he will still be too overcome by the Death Eaters taking Luna to have had time to think about ways to capture us. We go in and tell him that we saw the Death Eaters taking Luna and that we heard how Lucius promised to free her in exchange for us. Hopefully we can win him over to our side so that he will be willing to help us figure out the meaning of the sign."

Hermione sighed before replying, "Harry, I want to believe in Mr. Lovegood too. I just can't stop thinking about the look that crossed his face when Malfoy promised Luna's freedom. That was a look of a man that would do anything, a type of man that would kill in cold blood if it allowed him to get what he wanted."

"That's exactly why this could work. When we show up, Mr. Lovegood will be stunned. In his current condition, it is entirely possible that he may not even have his wand. Either way, when he opens the door we'll use Expelliarmus spell to take his wand from him, so that we can be sure that he won't be able to use magic against us. You know as well as I do that a pure-blooded wizard without his wand would never think to attack another wizard who has a wand. I'm sure that he will be anxious to cooperate when he hears that he will be able to present us to the Death Eaters at the end of the conversation."

"Harry James Potter! Are you out of your bloody mind?" Hermione admonished in a hushed tone. "After all that we have gone through you want to give up now? I thought Ron's betrayal was bad, how could you?"

"Calm down Hermione, there is more to the plan. I could never just roll over for them like that," Harry responded. "If, after talking to him, we feel that we can trust Mr. Lovegood then we will give him back his wand and let him call the Death Eaters. Hopefully they remember the sight of Mr. Lovegood when his spirit was crushed and he was wailing in despair so they won't expect that by responding they will actually be walking into a trap."

Hermione was still bristling, "Harry, this plan of yours relies on a lot of hoping. What if Mr. Lovegood won't cooperate with us? I don't have and Veritaserum in my bag. What do you expect us to do? Put Mr. Lovegood under the Imperius curse?"

Harry appeared to ponder for a second before replying, "I hadn't thought about it actually, I was hoping that he would be willing to cooperate with us if we managed to get his wand and promised to let him turn us over. Thinking about it, putting him under the Imperius curse may be the best way to make sure that everything goes according to plan. At least, if he is under the Imperius curse, we would know that he wasn't going to stab us in the back."

Hermione looked at Harry as if he just told her that the world was flat. "Harry, using any of the unforgivable curses could get us thrown in Azkaban!"

Smirking at how Hermione could always be counted upon to want to follow the rules, Harry said, "Hermione, we have bigger issues at the moment. We can deal with the consequences later, but we will have to live in order to do that. If somehow Mr. Lovegood manages to trick us and we are actually turned over to the Death Eaters then they will definitely not hesitate to use the unforgivable on us. I'm not suggesting that we start using Avada Kadavra but, right now, our best shot is using the Imperius curse."

Hermione stared at Harry for a few seconds before once again turning her gaze toward the Lovegood house. "Well, as many issues as I have with your plan it is the best that we have right now. It may be the Gryffindor part of me but I'm willing to give it a try. I trust you Harry, I hope that we can pull this off."

As soon as she had finished speaking, Hermione felt Harry grab her hand. The two quickly made their way to the front door of the house. After sparring a second to share a look with Hermione, Harry raised his fist and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" Xenophilius Lovegood frantically asked when he failed to see anyone after opening the door. The next second, he felt his wand being pulled from his grasp as he was pushed back into his house. The door closed as if it had a mind of its own before two teenagers suddenly appeared. Xenophilius couldn't believe his luck; when Lucius had offered him the opportunity to free his daughter, in exchange for Harry Potter, Xenophilius had felt hopeless. This despair disappeared when Xenophilius realized that Harry Potter had miraculously appeared at his house. These thoughts prevented Xenophilius from seeing Hermione raise her wand to cast the Imperius curse on him.

"I'm sorry Mr. Lovegood, but we saw the Death Eaters take Luna. We intend to help you get her back but, because she means so much to you, we can't trust you not to attempt to trick us," Harry explained. "When we finish our conversation, Hermione will have you call Lucius and tell him that you have caught us. When they Death Eaters get here, the three of us will surprise them and take them down. Until then, will you take us somewhere a little bit more comfortable to have a little chat?"

Hermione saw light return to Xenophilius' cold eyes at the mention of rescuing his daughter. She had to concentrate in order to prevent him from breaking out of her Imperius-induced control. Once she was sure that she had control, she nodded to Xenophilius to prompt him to oblige Harry's request.

Xenophilius led the two Gryffindors through his foyer and into the living room before sitting on a large arm-chair. Hermione sat on the large couch that faced the Lovegood fireplace. There she pulled _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ from her bag before asking, "Mr. Lovegood, I saw you wearing this symbol at Bill and Fleur Weasley's wedding. What does it mean?"

Xenophilius took a second to look over the symbol before he replied, "That is the symbol of the deathly hallows. If you turn to of the _Tale the Three Brothers_ you should be able to find the answer that you seek. Many disbelieve the tale but, judging by that cloak of yours, Mr. Potter, I would say that they are quite misinformed."

"I got this cloak as a gift from my father. What does it have to do with anything," Harry asked as he looked back and forth between Xenophilius and Hermione in a perplexed manner.

"Mr. Potter, the fact that you inherited the cloak just further shows that your cloak is the cloak of legends. Even the most finely manufactured invisibility cloaks will eventually deteriorate to the point that they no longer render the wearer invisible. With some of the cheaper cloaks this can happen in as little as six months; I personally have never heard of any invisibility cloak, outside the sacred hallow, that has lasted for longer than ten years."

Although Hermione had been listening to Xenophilius' response, she had taken it upon herself to open _The Tales of Beedle the Bard _to the chapter he had specified in order to learn more about the hallows. She had just finished reading by the time Xenophilius was concluding his speech and proceeded to tell Harry, "If that is true then there are two more hallows; a wand made out of elder and a stone that allegedly can bring back the dead. If one can obtain all three then, it is believed, that person will be able to conquer death, just as the three brothers did in the tale. Although, it is a bit of a stretch to say that they conquered death because in the end even the youngest brother, who managed to evade death the longest, dies. The brother with the cloak had the happiest fate of the three; the oldest brother, who was the master of the Elder wand, was murdered and the second brother committed suicide."

"I'm not sure if I'm happy that we were able to figure out the meaning behind the message Dumbledore left us or if I am frustrated that we have another quest to go on," Harry replied in a gruff manner. "These must be important; otherwise Dumbledore wouldn't have left us this trail of crumbs for us to follow."

"I agree," Hermione responded as she began to pace around the Lovegood sitting room. "I just hope that this isn't a repeat of the first year; when Dumbledore hid the sorcerer's stone so that only one who wanted to get the stone, but not use it would be able to find it. He could have left the clues either as a message telling us not to search for the deathly hallows or as a message letting us know that the deathly hallows represented our best chance. I think we need to decide whether or not to search for the hallows, here and now."

Harry sighed and appeared to be looking for defensible spots in the room before he answered, "I don't think that Dumbledore wanted us to try and find the hallows. After all, the only brother who lived was the one with the cloak. I don't know if it's a repeat of the situation with the sorcerer's stone, or not, but I know that, in all my meetings with Dumbledore, he never mentioned them. If they were that important then I'm sure that we would not have had to come here to find out about them."

Hermione nodded to show Harry that she accepted his decision before she changed the subject by saying, "Now that we have that settled we have to get Luna back. Harry, I can't believe that I am agreeing to this plan again. They will probably assume that Xenophilius is calling them to beg, so let's hope that only two or three of them will show up. Let me wear your invisibility cloak so that, hopefully, I'll be able to catch one or two of them unaware while Mr. Lovegood presents you to them."

"Mr. Lovegood, do you have any rope," Harry interrupted. "We need it to look authentic, if you wrap the rope around my hands I should be able to hold in a way that will allow me to quickly free myself by the time that spells start flying."

"That won't be necessary Harry," Hermione responded before Xenophilius had a chance to answer. "Mr. Lovegood and the Death Eaters are wizards; to them, it would not look strange to see him holding you hostage at wand point. This way you would be able to have your hands free and Mr. Lovegood would already have his wand in his hand. So, if everything goes as planned, Mr. Lovegood and I should each be able to take out a Death Eater before they even realize what is happening."

"Hermione, you are completely brilliant. I almost feel bad for the Death Eaters who are about to walk into our trap," Harry said with a grin plastered on his face. "With the element of surprise, I am confident that we can pull this off. No matter what, they can't be allowed to call for reinforcements. The moment one of the Death Eaters try to touch their mark is when the spells need to start flying."

"Agreed; Mr. Lovegood, we are doing this to get your daughter back and we will need you to act as normal as possible to avoid our surprise being blown," Hermione added as she came to a halt in front of Xenophilius. "I am sorry that I had to put you under the Imperius curse but it was the only way that we could be sure that you wouldn't betray us because of your love for your daughter. When you see my first spell you need to start casting spells against the other Death Eaters"

Harry walked behind Hermione and gently turned her to him in order to give her his invisibility cloak. "I'm sure that once we rescue Luna all will be forgiven. Before that can happen, you're going to need this. It looks like the fireplace should be able to provide you with some physical cover while giving you a clear view of the area." Harry reached up and caressed her cheek before he added, "Be careful, I couldn't stand being the one responsible for you getting hurt."

Hermione nodded, appreciating the tenderness of Harry's words, before she came back to reality and told Xenophilius, "Like Harry said, I'm going to take cover behind the fireplace. Be sure that you situate yourself and Harry in a way that will leave the Death Eaters without any readily available cover. We want this to be quick; the longer that it takes, the more likely it is that one of them will be able to get a spell through our defenses."

Xenophilius nodded before he guided Harry to a location between the foyer and the kitchen that met Hermione's specifications. When he stopped moving Hermione saw Harry nod and gave Xenophilius the command to call the Death Eaters. To Harry and Hermione's surprise, Xenophilius chose to do this with a Patronus charm; what surprised the pair even further was that Xenophilius' Patronus took the form of what Harry and Hermione could only assume was a Crumple-Horned Snorkack.


	6. The Will to Continue

******AN: The next three chapters are pretty epic. There is going to be a lot going on but I assure you that everything has its place in the overall story. I hope that you enjoy the chapter. As always, reviews are highly appreciated. I still don't own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 6**

"Crucio," cried Bellatrix Lestrange. The target of her spell, the wand maker Ollivander, cried out in pain from the pain caused by the torture curse and slumped to the floor of the grand reading room in the Malfoy Manor. "You dare you try to conceal information from the Dark Lord! As if anyone, as pathetic as you are, could stand in his way."

"Bellatrix, perhaps it is time for this has-been to be returned to his cell," Lucius Malfoy interrupted. "Until the Dark Lord returns, we cannot be sure that the fool has served his purpose. If you break him before our master returns then he will surely be most displeased."

As soon as the words had left Lucius' mouth, Bellatrix whirled about to point her wand at the head of the Malfoy house. "Do not presume that you can tell me what our master would want, Lucius. I have always been his most trusted and valued servant. Even when those with less devotion had forsaken him, claiming only to have served him because they were too weak to throw off the Imperius curse, my loyalty was never a question. Can you say the same?"

"The Dark Lord's return was both joyous and terrible for me, Bellatrix. His anger knew no equal when he learned how so many of his loyal followers escaped death or imprisonment. His punishment for claiming to be under the Imperius was terrible; in order to return to his side, we had to accept his blood which makes refusing his Imperius demands impossible," Lucius had walked to the book shelf closest to Bellatrix as he was speaking. "If the Dark Lord wished, he could turn any of those who had claimed that excuse into puppets with no free will what-so-ever. They would be enforcers of his will but without a will of their own. Accepting this was enough for the Dark Lord, I expect that it is enough for you."

Bellatrix was about to reply when she saw a silvery Patronus version of a creature that she could not identify. "Lucius, it would appear that you have a message."

The Patronus drifted to the book shelf that Lucius was standing beside. The voice of Xenophilius Lovegood was heard, although none present could see a visible mouth on the strange Patronus. "I have him. Potter is at my house. Bring Luna and he's yours!"

Lucius regarded Bellatrix. "If he was able to summon a Patronus then it is possible that he did, indeed, manage to capture Potter. However, a man like Xenophilius Lovegood could easily have deluded himself into thinking that by sending a Patronus we would be more inclined to negotiate. I'll take Yaxley, Nott, and Avery with me to teach Xenophilius a lesson about respecting his superiors."

Malfoy left the grand reading room before Bellatrix had the chance to voice her disagreements. "You three, look sharp. We have to pay our dear friend Xenophilius a visit."

* * *

Harry and Hermione had both been shocked into silence by Xenophilius Lovegood's Patronus representation. They did not have much time to contemplate the strangely formed Patronus before there was a series of popping sounds outside and the door was thrown open. Lucius Malfoy was the first to step through the door, followed quickly by three other Death Eaters in full regalia. As Harry and Hermione expected Lucius was the first to speak.

"Xenophilius, I do hope that you haven't called us here to beg. You know what you must do in order to win your daughter's freedom. If you have not actually found Potter, as you claimed in your Patronus message, then both you and your daughter will face the Dark Lord's wrath."

"Lucius, I assure you that there will be no need for that. You can verify that it's Potter for yourself; I have him in the kitchen," Lovegood indicated that Malfoy should join him as he gestured from the door to the kitchen with his free hand.

Malfoy and his three comrades made their way into the kitchen and Malfoy let out a gasp when he saw that Xenophilius indeed had someone who appeared to be Harry Potter in the kitchen. Lucius had a smirk on his face as he raised his arm contemplating how his master would reward him for capturing Harry Potter. That was the last thought he had before he was hit with a jet of red light causing his world to fade to black as he slumped to the ground.

The other Death Eaters were confused; their leader had just been struck down and, before they could react, another Death Eater was struck by a red-jet of light and fell to the ground. The remaining two had since gathered their wits and were not going to be taken down without a fight. The first managed to conjure a shield that was able to withstand the combined brunt of Hermione's and Xenophilius' second stunners. The other Death Eater rolled into the kitchen while magically flipping the table onto its side to provide him with a barrier against the onslaught of spells.

Although the Death Eaters had been caught off guard, as veterans of countless battles they quickly regained their composure. The Death Eater who had dove into the kitchen aimed his wand at Xenophilius as he yelled, "Expulso."

In his Imperius-induced state, lacking further instruction, Xenophiliius was chanting "Reducto," while sending a barrage of Reductor curses at the Death Eater who had conjured a shield from the center of the room; he had not sought cover. His barrage of spells had been able prevent that Death Eater from casting many offensive spells; unfortunately, it also prevented Xenophilius from seeing the other Death Eater's spell racing toward him. When the spell made contact with Xenophilius' left arm there was a small explosion that sent a blood-red mist into the air. With a gasp Xenophilius fell to the ground.

At the same time, Harry, who had edged into the living room and was using the couch as a make-shift barrier realized that the disarming spell should still be effective against a shield and cast Expelliarmus charm against the other Death Eater. The Death Eater must have cast a sticking charm to the shield to prevent him from dropping it and making him an easy target because when the shield went flying into the wall behind him the Death Eater's body followed. The Death Eater twitched several times on the ground before he stopped moving. To be safe, Harry shot a stunner at his downed opponent before turning his attention to the remaining Death Eater.

* * *

By this time, Hermione's cover had been blown. The Death Eater who had sheltered behind the table had seen the jets of spells coming from the far side of the fireplace. Since he couldn't find the source of the spells, he sent blasting curses at the fireplace hoping that the debris would help him find his invisible opponent. When he saw the other remaining Death Eater go down he realized that if he could succeed where his fellow Death Eaters had failed then his lord would reward him beyond all others. This put a new intensity into the spell casting of the remaining Death Eater.

Hermione realized that the spells her foe had been sending at the fireplace had reduced her defensive barrier to a pile of rubble. She needed to move; otherwise she would be in very real danger of being injured by the same fireplace that had once protected her. Casting a Leviosa charm she levitated the table that the Death Eater had been taking cover into his line of sight. By doing this, Hermione was able to accomplish two things. First, the Death Eater's spell ended up destroying the table that he had been sheltering behind. Second, Hermione was given the window that she needed to leave her previous sanctuary and advance upon the unsuspecting Death Eater.

After destroying the table that had been providing him with protection the Death Eater needed to act fast. Harry's attention was now also upon the Death Eater and his rapid spell casting kept the Death Eater on the defensive. Thus Hermione was able to slip closer and drop him with a simple stunner at close range.

Harry and Hermione shared a quick look before their eyes began to roam over the chaotic scene that consisted of the Lovegood living room and kitchen. The kitchen was completely devastated; the spells of Harry, Hermione, Xenophilius, and the Death Eaters had reduced the Kitchen to rubble. What was left of the table had lodged into the wall. The cabinets had either fallen or were hanging at odd angles. Silverware and bits of china had been strewn about the floor. In the midst of all the mayhem was Xenophilius Lovegood. Harry and Hermione immediately rushed to their fallen comrade in order to assess the severity of his injuries; Xenophilius was only just hanging onto his consciousness.

"Quick, Hermione," Harry shouted. "We need to do something, Mr. Lovegood is seriously hurt."

"I have some Essence of Dittany in my bag," Hermione replied, distracted as she rummaged through her bag. Eventually she got frustrated and resorted to a summoning spell. "Here it is, lay him out so I can pour it on his injury."

Harry obliged and laid Xenophilius out as Hermione hovered above with the potion vial. "Are you sure that's going to work?" Harry asked as Hermione poured the contents of the small vial onto the stump that had formerly connected Xenophilius' arm to his body. There was a glow as the potion reconnected the skin and closed the wound. When the glowing had stopped, Xenophilius' breathing had returned to a normal rate. "There is no way that he will be up and around any time soon."

"Luckily it was not his wand arm," Hermione responded while turning her gaze to the fallen Death Eaters. "He will be able to fend for himself when he wakes up. Now we have to figure out what to do with them."

"We still have to save Luna. I have an idea, but I know that you won't like it." Harry replied with a contemplative look. "Even though Mr. Lovegood got hurt, we were able to figure out about the deathly hallows. Under the Imperius curse, Mr. Lovegood opened the door to Malfoy manner."

Hermione gasped, "Harry! There will definitely be wards around Malfoy manner. I've studied Ancient Runes and Arithmancy but there is no way that I could get us into a place like that. It would be like breaking into Grimmauld Place!"

"Calm down, Hermione." Harry said as he saw Hermione starting to get going. "We can use the exact same scheme that we just used with Mr. Lovegood, except, instead of getting information; we'll have Malfoy to take us to Luna so that we can free her. The only difference will be that instead of having one extra wand on our side we will have four."

"Harry, using the Imperius is an incredibly involved experience. There were times, during the fight, when I felt Mr. Lovegood slipping from my hold. If we put these four under the Imperius curse then it would be even more difficult to maintain the concentration required to keep them under control. If we were to lose control of them at Malfoy manor then at best we would end up captured; I don't even want to contemplate the worst-case scenario." Hermione said with a shudder.

"We have to do something, those stunning spells will only keep them unconscious for so long. After everything we just went through, we can't afford to have them run back to their master and tell him what happened here," Harry said, attempting to justify himself. "Everything has been moving so fast recently; I think this is what we need to do and I believe I know of a way that will make everything work out."

"Harry, this has to be the single most hare-brained thing that you have ever wanted us to do," Hermione's reluctance was evident in her voice. "We have been through more in the last two days than most people would go through in years. Just tell me that everything will be ok in the end, I need to hear you say it."

"Hermione, I don't know what the future will bring but I do know that we have to rescue Luna," Harry replied, hoping that Hermione wouldn't catch onto the fact that he was trying to avoid answering her question. "I will always do everything in my power to keep you safe. This is a dangerous mission, but I don't think we will get a better chance to succeed than we have right now."

Lucius Malfoy and the other Death Eaters were beginning to stir as Harry finished talking. Looking at Hermione one last time, Harry made his way through the rubble to Lucius Malfoy. Standing above the fallen Death Eater, Harry aimed his wand and cast the Imperius curse on Lucius Malfoy.


	7. Muffled Sounds

******AN: This chapter includes elements from the last chapter that I wrote for Forevermore; from here on out, the story is purely A Rocky Road. For those of you who have followed the evolution of the story, thank you. I hope that you have enjoyed it so far. For those who haven't read Forevermore, I'm glad that you have found this story and I hope that you continue to enjoy it as well. I still don't own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 7**

"Malfoy, cast the Imperius curse on the other Death Eater scum that you brought with you," Harry commanded. At his command, Lucius Malfoy pulled himself into a standing position and cast the unforgivable curse upon his three comrades. When he completed his task, he looked back to Harry as if he was awaiting Harry's next command. Harry had expected a much fiercer resistance from the senior Malfoy but was happy to find that controlling Lucius was relatively easy.

"Brilliant, Harry, this way as long as Lucius is under your control there is should be no way that the other Death Eaters will be able to break through his Imperius curse. I'm sure that he is an experienced user of that unforgivable curse. Due to the nature of the Imperius curse; until you give him the command to release them from his Imperius curse or he is able to break free from your Imperius curse and choose to release them, himself, his curse will never falter and thus they will not be able to break free. If it weren't for all the atrocities that they have been responsible for, there is no way I could condone this manner of subjugation; they are no more than slaves at this point."

Harry ordered Lucius to make the other Death Eaters stand and meet at the door to the Lovegood property before he addressed Hermione. "I don't like the concept any more than you do, Hermione, but we don't have time right now to find another way to rescue Luna. Our odds are as good as they ever are going to get, when we get outside I'll have them side-along apparate us through whatever protective wards are in place and we will be able to finish what we came her to do."

Harry opened the door and the unlikely group made their way outside. "I just want this war to be over," Hermione whispered to herself, thinking that no one would hear her. "When this is over I want to go to a place with a waterfall, where we can finally relax."

Harry surprised her by grabbing her hand. "I agree, hopefully when the dust clears what is left is worth all the hardships that we've had to endure. Until then, it's up to people like us to do what we can to get to that day."

Hermione nodded then indicated to Harry that Lucius and his minions had all finally made their way outside. "Malfoy, we have to know, is Voldemort at your mansion?" Harry asked, suspicious because of the lack of resistance from Lucius against the Imperius curse.

"No, currently the only people at the manor should be my wife, Bellatrix, and Draco," Lucius replied.

"Good, I want you to take us there. Then, once we get there, make it seem as if you were able to capture us. However, do not, for any reason, let Bellatrix call her master. Do whatever you have to in order to stop her, but do not let her touch her mark," Harry directed. "Are we clear?"

"Quite," Lucius said while offering his arm to Harry. "Yaxley, you will transport the mudblood."

"Malfoy, don't let me hear you say that word again," Harry interjected through gritted teeth.

Malfoy just nodded as Harry felt the familiar tug of apparition that resulted in him looking at one of the largest mansions that he had ever seen in his life. Hermione and the others arrived a second later and Harry heard Hermione gasp.

"We have arrived," Lucius announced. "It is unlikely that we will encounter anyone between here and the dungeon. Bellatrix usually likes to conduct her interrogation sessions in the grand reading room."

Hermione cringed as Harry said, "Alright, lead us to the dungeons so that we can find Luna."

Lucius led the group up to the door and into the house. As he had anticipated, there was no one in between the front door and the dungeon. Even after six years of Hogwarts, the grandeur of the Malfoy manor was awe-inspiring. When the group passed by the library, Harry thought that they were going to lose Hermione. However, keeping in mind the danger that time in that library could represent, Hermione managed to stick with the group. Eventually they made it down the dungeon and were surprised by what they found. In front of Luna's cell was none other than the sleeping form of Peter Pettigrew.

"Malfoy, use the Imperius curse on him," Harry ordered. Seconds later Pettigrew was standing to join the other Death Eaters who were trapped by the Imperius curse. "Open the cell then give the order to the others to search the house and take down anyone that they find. Malfoy, you stay with us."

Malfoy did as Harry commanded. Harry and Hermione rushed to the aid of their friend as the Death Eaters began to search the house. "Lucius give me your wand then pick up Luna, carry her until she wakes up."

In the grand reading room, Bellatrix was taking a break from the games the she was playing with the wand maker. Bellatrix slowly waltzed around the victim of her frustration while replaying the conversation that she had with Lucius earlier in her mind. _Lucius proved himself a coward when he refused our master. He got off easy! His punishment was little more than a warning; I hope he fouls this mission also. Then everyone will see him in his true form, as a little bitch. _

Bellatrix had just completed that thought when she heard a spell impact upon the bookshelf behind her causing a thick black smoke to appear from that side of the room. Bellatrix whipped her head to the door to see who was foolish enough attack her while she was doing her master's bidding. Pettigrew and four others not bold enough to show their faces, they would all pay.

Bellatrix had to pirouette to the side in order to avoid a bolt of violet lightning cast by one of Pettigrew's masked comrades. As she finished her spin she used her inertia to intercept the lightning bolt with her wand and filing it back toward its caster. The caster was not as agile as Bellatrix and ended up on the receiving end of the Sangramienta curse; unable to think over the pain of bleeding from every pore of his body, the Death Eater collapsed onto the ground.

The other Death Eaters either didn't see Bellatrix's counter-attack, or didn't particularly care for their comrade, because they continued their attack without hesitation. Two of the remaining three masked Death Eaters attacked as a unit, their attacks never came from the same level, and thus Bellatrix regarded them as more dangerous than Pettigrew and the other masked Death Eater.

Cartwheeling to the side in order to avoid a trip jinx, the Oscuridad Infinite curse, and the Sectumsempra curse, she mentally applauded her opponents' attempt at tripping, blinding, and maiming her. However, she would not be taken down so easily. Delving into her extensive knowledge of magic, Bellatrix decided that the best spell to use against a pair of duelists acting as a unit was one that had been created by Morgan le Fay herself in order to combat Merlin and his apprentice. Bellatrix twirled to the side to avoid an underwhelming Reductor curse fired by Pettigrew and casting a killing curse that caused the lone masked Death Eater to abandon his attack and dive between a pair of bookshelves.

Coming out of her twirl, Bellatrix jumped over a low spell and onto Lucius' desk. From her vantage point, she twirled her wand counter-clockwise above her head like a lasso three times before slashing diagonally toward her hip and transfiguring the black smoke that had been caused by her assailants into a dragon that the duo of Death Eaters could not defend against. They were slammed against the wall causing a chorus of cracking sounds; the pair did not move again after that.

Now it was just Pettigrew, the single remaining masked Death Eater, and Bellatrix. Hopping down from her perch, Bellatrix began cackling as she circled the other two Death Eaters like a predator. Looking at Pettigrew, Bellatrix began taunting in the baby voice that she reserved for those who stood no chance against her. "The rat wants to have a go at Mistress Bella? Surely the rat has something more for me than that pitiful Reductor. Perhaps Mistress Bella should teach the rat some manners. Perhaps Mistress Bella should remind the rat how dangerous it can be to pick fights that it cannot win."

Flourishing her wand Bellatrix sent an Expulso curse at Pettigrew's pudgy face. If not for Bellatrix side-stepping to avoid a curse from the remaining Death Eater then Pettigrew's head would be a fine mist falling through the air behind his body. Instead, the spell hit another bookshelf causing a domino effect toppling all of the shelves that didn't line the walls.

* * *

Armed with a wand in each hand, Harry and his group began to make their way towards the door when they heard the signs of a battle raging in the distance.

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"Apparently, Bellatrix was not willing to come quietly," Lucius responded. "The power behind those spells could not have come from either Narcissa or Draco."

"We should make a break for it, while she is distracted," Hermione suggested. "There is no point in going to save Imperius slaves, only to find ourselves in another battle."

"Malfoy, were there any other prisoners at your house except Luna?" Harry asked.

"We had captured that foolish wand maker, Ollivander. Before the others and I left, I believe that Bellatrix wanted to try to loosen his ancient tongue," Lucius said with a smirk.

"We have to rescue him," Harry exclaimed. "I don't know why Voldemort would want Ollivander, but he can't be allowed to get what he wants."

Hermione looked apprehensive before she finally agreed and found Lucius leading them to the Grand reading room. When they got there they found that one of the Death Eaters were lying on the ground in a pool of blood and two slumped against a wall, not moving, while the other two seemed to be on the brink of being overwhelmed. When Bellatrix saw Lucius enter the room carrying Luna she was distracted enough the masked Death Eater was able to sneak a stunner past her guard. Bellatrix fell to the floor and the house was quiet. Ollivander, who had crawled behind a bookshelf, peered out in order to determine whether or not he would be safe.

"It's ok, Mr. Ollivander, Malfoy is with us. Malfoy, order Pettigrew and the other Death Eater to bring your wife and Draco to this room," Harry ordered to the old wand maker's surprise.

"What's going on here, Harry? These men would never take orders from you," Mr. Ollivander said as he indicated Malfoy, Pettigrew, and the other Death Eater who just walked out the door.

"Mr. Ollivander, we can go over all of that once we are safe but, right now, I ask that you just trust me," Harry said, attempting to placate the old man. Not waiting for a reply, Harry turned to see Hermione casting the Imperius curse on Bellatrix.

"Bellatrix Lestrange, if you can hear me open your eyes." As Hermione finished speaking, Bellatrix's eyes sprang open. "Right now, we are searching for dark items that have been cursed by your master. Do you know where we could find anything like that?"

Bellatrix appeared to be giving Hermione a very good fight because it took several minutes before she finally answered, "Yes, before the Halloween that my master went after James Potter, and your mudblood mother, he gave me a small golden cup with the instructions to hide it in my vault at Gringotts. It has remained there, ever since."

Hermione looked toward Harry for a second before she declared, "It looks like we just figured out where we have to go next. Bellatrix, give me your wand."

Harry nodded and turned his head to see the source of the noise at the door. He saw Pettigrew and the other, still masked, Death Eater dropping Draco and his mother, Narcissa Malfoy, unceremoniously on the ground. "Yeah, but what should we do with this bunch?" Harry asked, looking at the group that he had assembled. "We will need Bellatrix to get into her vault in Gringotts, but we can't have any of the others spoiling the surprise."

"Mr. Potter, it's not so late in the afternoon that the goblins of Gringotts bank would deny a group that includes me and three of their most wealthy customers; we could go there right now. However, before we go, be sure to confiscate the wands of your captives. If I may, I should be able to help you determine which wands will best serve each of you," Mr. Ollivander said while looking between Harry and Hermione. "Also, it would be wise to recast your Imperius curse. It would be a shame if the events that have transpired since you arrived here have weakened your hold to an extent that Lucius is simply waiting for the most opportune chance to shrug off your curse."

Harry, following Ollivanders' advice while taking initiative addressed Lucius, "Lucius order your men." Lucius personally collected the wands of his son and wife before ordering the wands of Pettigrew and his masked companion.

The group now included Harry, Hermione, Luna Lovegood, Mr. Ollivander, Lucius, Draco, and Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, Peter Pettigrew, and Yaxley, who had been ordered by Lucius to take off his mask. Mr. Ollivander determined that the wands of Lucius and Pettigrew would best serve Harry and that the wands of Bellatrix and Draco would best serve Hermione. Since the wands of Narcissa and Yaxley didn't suit either Harry or Hermione, Ollivander slid them into the sleeves of his robes.

Together, they made their way outside and, moments later, apparated in Diagon Ally.

* * *

Hermione was nervous, she thought that there was a chance that the goblins would be reluctant to take their group to Bellatrix' vault. In Malfoy manor, when Hermione and Bellatrix were mentally wrestling for control of Bellatrix's mind Hermione was amazed that Bellatrix's mind was organized in a way that reminded her of her favorite library. Although this fact slightly bothered Hermione, she was confident that she had control of Bellatrix's mindscape. After prompting from Mr. Ollivander, Hermione gave Bellatrix her wand back so that Bellatrix would be able to prove her identity to the goblins.

Before Hermione had a chance to contemplate just how many stars must have come into alignment in order for the day to have gone so successfully, they were on a cart speeding, along what she considered the craziest roller coaster that she had ever been on, to Bellatrix' vault. She would be reluctant to admit it but she was actually enjoying the ride through Gringott's underground caverns. Although the lanterns did not provide the best lighting, Hermione thought that she could see the shimmer of a waterfall in the distance.

A second later, Hermione felt the water of the waterfall fall over her shoulders and saw Mr. Ollivander quickly cast a pair of spells before the bottom of the cart vanished and the group was falling through the ground. With each second they were falling faster; Hermione realized that she could now make out a series of lights racing toward her, on what she assumed was the ground level, before she found herself magically suspended in the air. Looking around her she saw that Mr. Ollivander, Harry, Luna, and Bellatrix were likewise suspended. She didn't consider the implication until she heard four muffled thumps from below.

* * *

**AN2: Oh, the implications... I hope that you liked the chapter. Bellatrix's dual scene was kind of tricky to write and took some time. Let me know if you like the way the scene was done. I have several other dual scenes over the next few chapters and want to make sure that my readers are enjoying them. Reviews fuel creativity!**


	8. Intersecting Paths

******AN: I would really like some feedback about whether my readers like the story/the direction I'm going. I have a premise, but reviews inspire me. Please take a second when you're finished reading to review. Thanks. I still don't own Harry Potter**

**Chapter 8**

"Mr. Ollivander, how could you? You just let four people die, they never even had a chance" screeched Hermione.

"Calm down, girl," Mr. Ollivander replied. "I, merely, made a tactical decision that will allow you and Mr. Potter to continue upon your quest. I did what was best; what else would you have done with those four? Now, Bellatrix, lead us to your vault."

Hermione was silent as she searched for an answer to the wand-maker's question. She hated that she could see the logic behind Mr. Ollivander's words. The casualty with which Mr. Ollivander had dealt death to the Malfoys and their fellow Death Eater unnerved her more than a little bit.

* * *

Bellatrix led the group through the caverns to her vault. When they stopped she laid her hand upon the door and after thirty seconds marked by the grinding of gears the door swung open to reveal the contents of her vault.

"Wow," Hermione uttered upon seeing the quantity of gold and priceless artifacts contained within.

"Bellatrix, you know what we came here for. Get the horcrux," ordered Mr. Ollivander.

Obediently, Bellatrix made her way to a small cup that looked insignificant when compared to many other objects in the vault. She picked it up and tossed it to Harry, who was able to catch it despite the lack of forewarning.

"This is definitely a horcrux," mused Harry as he turned the cup over in his hands while examining the small badger engraved on the surface. "I destroyed the locket. Dumbledore destroyed the ring. Hermione destroyed the locket. Now we have the cup. We're doing it; we're making progress."

"Mr. Potter, it is time for us to go," said Mr. Ollivander while looking at the door. "While we didn't trigger any alarms in the vault, the goblins will know that we triggered the Thief's Downfall and we do not want to stick around to suffer their wrath."

"Right, but how can we escape? The cart is gone and I doubt that the goblins will be willing to send us another one," Harry responded while following the tracks with his eyes.

"You are correct, Harry. This is when we rely on a diversionary tactic in order to accomplish our goals. Do you agree that the Dark Lord would come rushing if Bellatrix was to call him using her mark at Gringotts, where he knows that he is vulnerable? We are going to call him and have him blow down the front door, while we escape through the back," the wand maker said with a smile.

"Why is everyone in the magical world so illogical," moaned Hermione. "If we call him here then he will know that we know about the Horcruxes."

"Hermione, he will try to kill us either way," Harry said while gritting his teeth. "It was only a matter of time before he found out what we have been doing. If we can use that information to make it possible for us to escape then I don't see any other options. What do you expect us to do, breakout using one of the mythical dragons of Gringotts?"

Hermione started laughing at Harry's question. She remembered Ron telling them that Gringotts supposedly had dragons guarding the lower vaults. When she first heard this she was amazed and horrified; however, Ron had also then proceeded to tell Harry and Hermione that they were expected to fight a troll before the sorting hat would place them in a house.

"Mr. Ollivander, do you have any idea how the goblins will respond to a frontal assault on Gringotts? How much time will we have to escape, while they are occupied with the attack?" Hermione questioned as she contemplated the different variables in their equation.

* * *

"Despite their finest efforts, the goblins won't buy us much time when confronted with an opponent of the Dark Lord's caliber. We may have five minutes, at the most. Once we get out of the caverns, if the last Gringotts goblin has been slain, the magic that prevents us from disapparating will be broken. However, the pride of the goblins will not allow any to ignore a frontal assault on their main fortress. Therefore we can be assured that the Dark Lord will facilitate our escape," the wand maker reasoned.

"If we are going to do anything we should do it soon before the nargles move on from Harry and Hermione," Luna, who had been extremely quiet since waking up, interjected.

"I don't know about nargles, but Luna is right. If there are no more objections then I will have Bellatrix make the call," Mr. Ollivander said quickly.

* * *

"Why, Gregorovich, do you attempt to deny me that which I desire? The fool Ollivander attempted to do the same at first and he is still paying the price for his resistance. I will ask one more time, where is the wand?"

Gregorovich could only cough in response. When the door had opened to his wand shop he was looking forward to providing another young wizard with the companion that would serve alongside them as they grew into the wizard that they were destined to become. He had not expected England's successor to the Dark Lord Grindlewald to walk into his shop and begin questioning him about the Elder wand. "I don't have it anymore; it was stolen from me by the one who considered himself the dark lord before you."

"I can tell that you are finally telling me the truth; was that so difficult? Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to live. Anyone who dares to defy me is destined to meet the same fate. Embrace your death, Avada Kadavra!"

_It is time for me to meet my predecessor. The man who lost his title to that fool Dumbledore has never before been deserving of my attention. However, I can no longer ignore him; he has what I have spent so long searching for and now will suffer my wrath. _Voldemort thought before disapparating to Nuremburg, the sight of Grindelwald's prison.

_The old fool couldn't deny me in life; now that he is dead his wards have no chance of preventing me from accomplishing my goal. _Voldemort walked closer to the fortress and looked for traces of Dumbledore's magic. _As I expected, instead of casting wards that would make those who seek your treasure vulnerable, you would settle for simple repelling charms. You were once a great wizard, apparently that time ended with the defeat of this supposed Dark Lord._

In no time, Voldemort had made his way through the ward scheme and was standing at the entrance to Grindelwald's cell. "You will tell me where the Elder wand is and I will decide whether or not you deserve to live."

Grindelwald appraised his visitor before bursting into maniacal laughter. "So you are the one who determined himself to be worthy of my title? You apparently did not consider the consequences of splitting your soul as many times as you have. Let me assure you that you will fail in your quest to find what you seek. When Dumbledore would visit me, he would tell me of you. Now, I am surer than ever that your quest is futile. You don't realize that you seek not that which you never had, but that which you have lost."

"I am not a patient man, Grindelwald. You will tell me where it is and you will tell me now!"

"You must realize that Dumbledore would have never allowed me to keep it after our duel. I take it that, since you are my visitor, he is dead. Fine, go. You know where you will find the wand."

"I shall go, but one last thing: Avada Kadavra!" The body of Grindelwald fell to the ground as a smirk made its way across Voldemort's snake-like face.

_Of course the old fool would have the Elder wand. There is no other way that he would have been able to face my power. I will go to Hogwarts to claim what should be mine; what wand more fitting for the new ruler of the world. _Voldemort thought as he made his way back to the entrance of the castle where he could dissaparate to Hogwarts. However, just before he was about to apparated to Hogwarts he felt one of his faithful Death Eaters calling his with their dark mark. _Bellatrix, I gave you no instruction to go to Gringotts. If this is for any reason other than you capturing the Potter brat then my wrath will be terrible._

* * *

"Hurry, we won't have long now," Harry shouted as Bellatrix touched her index and pointer fingers to the dark mark on her forearm.

"Right, this way," Mr. Ollivander said as he began to lead the group down a set of tunnels away from where they had initially come from. "It is a secret that has been kept from the majority of the magical world; during the last war against the goblins, wizards managed to penetrate the wards that protect Gringotts in order to assassinate the Goblin Overlord. The tunnel they used to break-in should still exist near the oldest of vaults, which prior to Gringotts transformation into a bank were the various rooms of the goblin fortress."

"That is fascinating, how could Dumbledore have allowed anyone, as dreary as professor Binns, to drone on and on about the clerical aspects of goblin rebellions when there were pertinent lessons to be learned," Hermione asked in an indignant huff.

"Professor Binns prevents the students from falling victim to the wrackspurts that occupy Hogwarts," Luna answered cheerfully.

After this exchange the group was quietly following Mr. Ollivander when they heard a resounding explosion.

"He must be anxious to get to Bellatrix and determine why she summoned him. We won't have much longer, I'm sure that the floor runs red with goblin blood as we speak." Mr. Ollivander said before muttering under his breath, "He was always destined for terrible, but great, things."

""We have to hurry," Harry yelled. "We are almost there. I destroyed the diary. Professor Dumbledore destroyed the ring. Hermione destroyed the locket. Now we have Gryffindor's sword and Hufflepuff's cup. If we can escape then we can do it!"

"Well said Harry, when your voice gained that tone in the Ministry of Magic I knew that everything was going to work out," Luna said while looking at Harry approvingly.

" , how much further do we have to go," asked Hermione while throwing a look back over her shoulder.

Mr. Ollivander brought the group to a stop in the middle of a large cavern and pointed his finger a tunnel ahead of them in the 2 o'clock position. "That tunnel there will lead you out of Gringotts."

"You mean lead us, Mr. Ollivander you can't mean that you intend to stay here," asked Hermione, shocked at the implications of the wand maker's statement.

"I do intend to stay here, the last time that I went through that tunnel I promised that I would never use it again. My retreat was bought with the blood of three of my comrades who sacrificed themselves in order to prevent the goblin brute force from catching up to us. Now go, we don't have time to argue. The Dark Lord approaches; I will hold him off for as long as I can. Mr. Potter, it has been a pleasure knowing you. My only regret is that I won't be there to witness your rise to greatness."

Harry looked between Hermione and Luna before nodding. "Come on, girls. Mr. Ollivander and Bellatrix will buy us time; we need to get moving."

* * *

Voldemort stepped over the bodies of the goblins who had attempted to resist him. He could feel Bellatrix's dark mark singing to his magic from beneath the floor and knew this meant that she was at her vault.

Taking flight, Voldemort flew through the tunnels of Gringotts and in a matter of minutes arrived at Bellatrix's vault. When he could not feel the hum of his horcrux from within the vault his anger reached unchartered levels. Following the call from Bellatrix's dark mark, Voldemort flew still deeper into the tunnels of Gringotts.

Eventually he made his way into the lowest cavern of Gringotts and was incredulous when he was met with the sight of the old wand maker and Bellatrix Lestrange in battle-stances near a series of tunnels at the far side of the cave.

"What do we have here, Bellatrix? A bitch would turn against her master? Ollivander you have just assured yourself a most painful death. Standing against me and daring to use the Imperius curse against one of my followers? Prepare yourself for my wrath."


	9. Old Glory

**AN: Wait for it, I'm pretty excited about chapters 9-12. Read and let me know what you think. If you review I'll post the next chapters earlier.**

**AN2: I'm not sure how many chapters this story will go but I'm not going to post that I don't/won't own Harry Potter or try to make money using JK Rowling's property. 9 disclaimers should be sufficient. **

**Chapter 9**

When Voldemort had gotten to Gringotts bank he was mildly irritated due to a slight derivation from his plan. He was supposed to be retrieving the Elder wand from the old fool's tomb; he was not supposed to have to fight through the Gringotts goblins in order to determine if the horcrux that he had trusted to his most loyal lieutenant was missing.

The fact that his horcrux was gone was enough to make his blood boil. The added insult of his trusted lieutenant falling under an Imperius curse cast by one of his prisoners put him over the edge. Seeing Bellatrix Lestrange opposing him on the battlefield caused Voldemort's anger to rise; as Voldemort's anger increased his power increased proportionately.

* * *

It had been a very long time since Ollivander had raised a wand in battle; it had been even longer still since he had gone into battle acting as a puppet-master. He knew that in order to buy Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and the Lovegood girl enough time to escape that he would have to use every trick in his repertoire.

When Voldemort entered the cavern, Ollivander made the first move by ordering Bellatrix to flank her master while he shot blasting curses at the ceiling. As Bellatrix reached the desired position, Ollivander ordered her to begin a vortex charm.

Voldemort realized that the reason Ollivander was blasting the ceiling was to initiate a cave-in that would crush him. Instead of being crushed by the falling rocks he transfigured them into great drops of water that were absorbed by the vortex that Bellatrix had created. In the vortex, the giant drops of water elongated and Voldemort was able to use a freezing charm to create giant ice spears, which he then sent them through Bellatrix's conjured vortex at the ancient wand crafter.

It appeared to Voldemort that he had succeeded in impaling the ancient wand maker; however, Ollivander had been using a combination of optical charms to project his image beyond Bellatrix's vortex on the side of the cave where he had stood at the beginning of the confrontation. He hoped that by attacking the Dark Lord from a blind spot that he would be able to land a hit by surprise. When directly behind his opponent, Ollivander pointed his wand at Voldemort's feet and waved his wand in a jagged pattern that caused the ground to open up and swallow Voldemort.

Voldemort's fury had reached a level that was usually reserved for the Potter brat and the old fool. When Ollivander had animated the ground to swallow him, while forcing him fifty feet underground, most would have succumbed to the increased pressure and given up. However, Voldemort had no intention of giving up.

Instead, he focused all of his rage and cast an Evanesco Maxima charm that succeeded in creating a large space around him by vanishing the dirt around him in order to create a sub cavern with the exact dimensions as the cavern where the wand-maker was making his last stand. Voldemort then cast a series of reduced-power Defodio spells in order to compromise the integrity of the platform to such an extent that one over-powered Deprimo spell would blast the floor with such an intense wind that it would collapse, along with those foolish enough to stand against him.

* * *

Fifty feet above, Ollivander had been at work conjuring boulders to block off all of the tunnels leading out from the cavern that the battle was being fought in. Ollivander's main purpose was to buy Harry, Hermione, and Luna extra time, but he didn't want to draw Voldemort's attention to their tunnel by only conjuring boulders in specific tunnels. Although Ollivander could not tell for sure, he supposed that the group was just reaching the end of the tunnel.

Finishing his mission, Ollivander directed Bellatrix to be on guard and fire at will when Voldemort appeared. Now was not a time for finesse, it was time for an overwhelming display of force.

Ollivander heard the rumbling before he realized what was happening. Then, for the second time that day, Ollivander and Bellatrix were falling through the air. However, this time they were accompanied by debris and incoming spells. Bellatrix cast an ancient spell that she had learned from Voldemort whichallowed her to fly through the air, zigging, zagging, and destroying the debris that obscured Ollivander's vision. Ollivander conjured a shield to protect himself from Voldemort's wrath that promptly melted when hit with the jet of green light, presumably the killing curse.

"Arresto Momentum," yelled Ollivander as he neared the floor. Hovering in the air momentarily, Ollivander swept his wand across his body and sent a blast of Fiendfyre at Voldemort in the shape of a jackal.

The Dark Lord was not going to fall prey to Fiendfyre, he unleashed his own vortex spell to capture and condense the Fiendfyre creation followed by a banishing charm to send the flame-vortex back at its caster.

By casting the Fiendfyre Ollivander had tapped into the last bit of his magical strength that he could access without losing control of Bellatrix. So, instead of casting his own shield charm, he directed Bellatrix to intercept the curse.

* * *

When Voldemort saw Bellatrix swoop in front of the flaming vortex he knew that that she would not survive. Although Voldemort had intended to punish Bellatrix for failing to restrain his prisoner, he had never meant to kill her. Ollivander essentially signed his death warrant by making Voldemort kill Bellatrix by accident instead of by choice. Voldemort could never allow anyone to live that had made such a fool of him. So Voldemort began to chain together spells in a way that only one wizard had managed to survive.

He began with the Relámpago charm to shoot a bolt of lightning at his opponent. Then he followed up with a pair of bone-breaking curses, the latter of which clipped the thigh of his dodging opponent and resulted in an audible snap as Ollivander's bone was broken. Next he shot a severing charm at the wand-maker's wand arm which found its mark. Then he fired a Crucio spell that caused Ollivander to foam at the mouth as he writhed in pain.

Voldemort had no reason to continue the spell chain, the wand maker was finished. "Now it's time that you return what is mine. Give. Me. My. Horcrux."

"I don't have it," croaked Ollivander through his suffering.

"Your life is forfeit, give me what is mine and I will make it quick. If you continue to lie to me then you will suffer more."

"I-I won't tell you anything," responded Ollivander while attempting to maintain what was left of his dignity.

"I shall enjoy this," Voldemort said as he advanced upon the prostrate wand maker.

* * *

Harry, Hermione, and Luna were running through the tunnel as if their lives depended on it. Behind them, they heard a series of explosions that told them that Voldemort had arrived in the cavern where they had left the old wand maker.

"That must be the exit," Harry shouted while pointing ahead to a spot of light that had appeared in the distance.

The prospect of freedom caused the three to increase their pace. With each second they got closer to the light; when the light was about one-hundred yards away they heard the loudest explosion yet. They knew that Ollivander was sacrificing himself in order to allow them to escape.

In just under seventeen seconds they had reached the light source and realized that they were standing on a cliff overlooking a distant yet vast expanse of water.

"I still feel the anti-apparition wards, I think that we have to jump," reasoned Hermione while frantically trying to calculate how far they would be falling.

Harry grimaced as he felt Voldemort's exhilaration through his scar. "We don't have any more time. Mr. Ollivander is dead. Let's jump."

"Thank you Mr. Ollivander. You showed me kindness when I was captured. I will remember your sacrifice," Luna said as she looked back into the tunnel.

* * *

Hermione grabbed her two friend's hands before jumping so that once they reached the limit of the anti-apparition wards she could disapparate the group to safety. The water was rushing toward them and Hermione began to worry because the wards were still intact. The water was yards away and getting closer when, unbeknownst to them, the last of the Gringotts' goblins had finally breathed its last breath, Hermione and the group was able to safely disapparate.

Moments later, the group was standing in in a cave outside Hogsmeade village where Sirius Black had visited with Harry and Hermione while on the run from the Ministry of Magic.

* * *

"Good work, Hermione. I was worried that the wrackspurts would get to you and throw off your timing causing us to crash into the water," said Luna while smiling.

"Thanks, Luna. I couldn't think of anywhere else to take us, though, so I brought us to outside of Hogsmeade," Hermione replied while walking to the edge of the cave. "I think we should be able to get our bearings here."

"Yeah, how many days do we have left until classes resume at Hogwarts," Harry questioned while looking back and forth between his traveling companions.

"Monday is the start of the new term. Daddy told me…" Luna abruptly stopped before fearfully asking, "What if You-know-who goes after my dad again?"

"Luna, there is nothing that we can do about that right now. Hopefully your dad has fled, but we can't risk going back there. Your dad is a capable wizard, he should be able to take care of himself," Hermione replied attempting to appeal to the young Ravenclaw's sense of logic.

"Hermione is right; your dad can handle himself. He wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger because of him. He even begged the Death Eaters to take him in your place so that you could be free," Harry added as he pulled Luna into a hug.

"Thank you both, it is so nice to feel like I have friends," Luna murmured in response.

"Of course we're your friends Luna," Hermione assured while wrapping her arms around Luna and Harry.

* * *

Eventually the group separated and reinforced the protective spells that had been worked into the cave by Sirius years before. Before long, they had created an area that they were sure would be able to meet their needs until classes resumed at Hogwarts and the group would attempt to sneak into the castle.

* * *

Meanwhile, after realizing that Ollivander was telling the truth about not having the horcrux Voldemort left Gringotts to discover the state of affairs at the Malfoy manner. If Ollivander was somehow able to place Bellatrix under the Imperius curse then his whole operation could have been compromised. In a small and shadowy part of his being Voldemort registered the loss of his lieutenant Bellatrix Lestrange but by the time he realized what his feelings meant it would be too late.


	10. Consequences of ReActions

******AN: Here is the next chapter. Please throw me a bone and review once you're finished reading.**

**Chapter 10**

The past few days had been uneventful for Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood. After an abduction, a rescue mission, fooling the Gringotts goblins, and narrowly escaping an encounter with the dark lord Voldemort, the challenge of obtaining enough food to last until the start of the next Hogwarts' term was a welcome relief. Due to her adventures searching for fantastical creatures with her father, Luna had a deep knowledge of how to cook the various plants found near the cave in order to best utilize their individual flavors. As a result of this the group was able to avoid the pangs of hunger and Harry and Hermione were reminded how valuable Luna could be to have on their side.

* * *

Since Voldemort had returned to the Malfoy manor and found it vacant, Harry had found that his scar was bothering him more frequently than ever before. He assumed this was caused equally because of the presumed desertion of the Malfoy family, the death of Bellatrix Lestrange, and the fact that Voldemort now had evidence that someone was hunting his horcruxes.

Harry had been forced to watch and feel Voldemort's rage as he journeyed to the cave that had once housed his locket. Harry had felt the fury of Voldemort when the dark lord returned to his ancestral home to determine the fate of his the Gaunt family ring. Harry watched in awe as Voldemort razed the Malfoy manor searching for his journal.

In addition to the anger caused by the loss of his horcruxes, Harry was able to learn that Voldemort had indeed hidden a horcrux at Hogwarts: the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. In his fury, Voldemort had reiterated what the late professor Dumbledore had presumed to be true; the reason for Voldemort's increased level of control over his familiar Nagini was due to the fact that Voldemort had attempted to complete his magically significant set of seven horcruxes.

* * *

"Hello, Earth to Harry. Maybe we should call _you_ loony," mused Luna as she waved her hand in front of Harry's face breaking him out of his trance.

"I think that the Prophet has beaten you to it a couple times by now, Luna," Harry joked while looking into the younger girl's baby blue eyes. "Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts for a while there."

"Harry, you were rubbing your scar and repeating 'she's gone,'" said Hermione looking very worried and somewhat diminished. "Who's gone?"

"I didn't realize that I was saying anything, over the past few days Voldemort has been extremely angry and I have been seeing more, and more, of what he's been doing. I tried to clear my mind to prevent myself from being drawn out, but was not prepared for the level of anger that he is consumed by right now," Harry explained. "I know that you want to lecture me but I found out that we have another reason to go to Hogwarts; it's where he hid the horcrux made out of something relating to Ravenclaw."

"Harry, I really hope that you aren't referring to the lost diadem of Ravenclaw. Rowena Ravenclaw and the Grey Lady would be awfully upset if they were to learn that such an artifact had been turned into a dark object," Luna said sternly before Hermione had an opportunity to voice her thoughts.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Luna, but that is exactly what he has done. It's in the room of requirement; if we can get in and destroy it, and the locket, then once we kill his snake, Nagini, he should once again be mortal," Harry replied with a determined look on his face. "The students will be arriving on the Hogwarts Express this evening. If we take the passage from the shrieking shack to the Whomping Willow we could probably sneak in with all the incoming students before making a break for the Room of Requirement"

"I wish it would be that simple but Snape knows about that passage, it was there that he had attempted to capture Sirius so that Sirius would suffer the Dementor's kiss. With us on the loose, he must assume that if we want to sneak into the castle that is how we would attempt to enter. We are going to have to figure another way to get into the castle," answered a somber Hermione. "Peter Pettigrew was a Marauder, just like Sirius, there is no way that the Voldemort didn't learn of the secret passages from him."

"That's true; this makes things more difficult," said Harry in a pensive tone. "There has to be some way into the castle. If Hogwarts bought the food that it served then we could sneak in with one of the shipments, but I'm pretty sure that the elves do everything involving food."

"Harry, that's it. You told me that Dobby helped you during the Triwizard Torunament, try to call him," exclaimed Hermione.

"Dobby," shouted Harry.

With a crack, the small elf appeared. "The great Mister Harry Potter, sir, has called for Dobby! What can Dobby do for the great Harry Potter, sir? Dobby is here to help, sir!"

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that to work… Hi Dobby. I was wondering if you knew of a way for us to get into Hogwarts without being detected," questioned Harry.

"The new headmaster not be wanting people sneaking into Hogwarts. Right now only the elves be able to come and go without causing alarm," Dobby said appearing to regret each word as it left his mouth.

"Good elf, would a person who is brought in by an elf trigger the extra protections that are in place," asked Luna.

"No, miss, elves be able to bring anything through the magic surrounding the castle," replied a confused looking Dobby.

"Dobby, could you transport the three of us into the castle," asked an excited Harry.

Realizing that he would be able to help after all, Dobby broke into an ear to ear smile while shaking his head up and down so forcefully that Hermione worried for his safety. "Yes, Dobby could do this for the great Harry Potter and his friends."

"Dobby, can you take us to the room of requirement on the seventh floor," asked Hermione

Dobby began to look worried again as he processed Hermione's request. "That is the one place in Hogwarts that Dobby can't be taking Mr. Harry Potter and friends."

"It's ok Dobby, if you could take us up to the seventh floor that will be fine," Harry quickly interjected before the elf could start punishing himself.

"Anything to help the great Harry Potter," Dobby squeaked as he grabbed a hold of each group member before disapparating with a crack.

When the group reappeared they were in a familiar corridor on the seventh floor of Hogwarts. Unfortunately, they were not alone. Down the hall were a woman and a man that Harry and Hermione recognized as Alecto and Amycus Carrow, respectively.

* * *

The Carrows had been appointed to Hogwarts by the dark lord, personally. In his rage over the disappearances of so many inner circle Death Eaters in addition to the death of Bellatrix Lestrange, Lord Voldemort sought to assure himself that any resistance would be stamped out at its source. With their penchant for violence, the Carrows were the perfect way to obtain the obedience that a lord such as Voldemort required of his followers.

The pair understood their lord's fervent desire to capture Potter and his traveling companions. The fact that Xenophilius Lovegood had gone underground had further incensed the dark lord in such a way that he and Luna had joined Harry and Hermione as two of magical Britain's most undesirable characters. The favor that could be gained by delivering Harry Potter, his filthy mudblood, and the Lovegood girl was a prospect that caused Amycus to raise his wand immediately upon hearing the crack down the corridor and fire a spell of his own creation.

Harry saw Amycus raise his wand and take aim at Hermione. Without stopping to think, Harry leaped in front of her and was struck by an indigo jet of light that caused him to gasp before slumping to the ground.

* * *

Hermione's world seemed like it was moving in slow motion. Amycus had raised his wand and sent a jet of indigo light at her and she froze. Her brain told her to move, but her body refused to respond. Harry moved in front of her, right before the curse would have struck, and intercepted the curse before slumping to the ground.

The gasp that Harry released before he fell was enough to jar Hermione back to reality; she was back and she was pissed off. Her classmates and professors called her the brightest witch of her age for a reason. Hermione prided herself on the amount of time that she had spent in the library reading ancient spell books and practicing magic in order to prove that being a muggle-born witch did not make her an inferior witch. During her studies she had found many rare and arcane spells that had fell through the cracks of time. It was one of these spells that she launched at the Carrows followed by a quick Muffliato charm, because she understood what would happen if the spell successfully hit its mark.

According to the spell book where she had found it, the Curse of the Buddha's Palm was a spell that forced the target to experience the effects of every malicious spell that they had ever cast on other individuals and magnified the strength of those spells three-fold.

Amycus had managed to avoid the spell, but his sister was not so lucky. As soon as the golden blast hit, Alecto began to scream. The skin that was exposed on her body began to decompose, her body jerked as if being controlled by an inexperienced puppeteer, by the time that she hit the ground she was nothing more than ash that would be vanished when the elves next cleaned this part of the castle.

* * *

Luna was not standing idly by as Hermione cast her spell at the Death Eaters. She had also taken her wand out and cast an Impedimenta Jinx in the direction that she thought it most likely that the man would dodge.

Very few witches or wizards could adopt this strategy and hope to encounter success; luckily Luna Lovegood was one of those witches. Alecto Carrow did not have time to cast another spell before Luna's jinx threw him off his feet, unconscious.

* * *

"Harry, Harry wake up," yelled Hermione as she knelt to the ground and pulled his torso into an embrace. "Harry, you can't leave me. You have to be ok."

"Hermione, we should go into the room of requirement. We need a place where we can treat Harry and where we can see if the caster of the spell knows the counter-spell," said Luna as she paced back and forth visualizing the room that they required causing a door to appear from what was a previously uninterrupted wall. Then pointing her wand at the downed Death Eater she pointed her wand and cast the Levicorpus spell. "Hurry, bring Harry."

Hermione was beside herself with guilt but she realized that it wouldn't due to be caught in the halls of Hogwarts with an unconscious Harry Potter. _We must not be found, _Hermione thought, completing their room, while levitating Harry to the door and nodding in affirmation at Luna.

When Luna saw Hermione give the affirmative, she opened the door and the girls were amazed by the sheer quantity of items in the room. There appeared to be no rhyme or reason to the majority of the room, but along one of the walls was a set of beds that looked like they belonged in a hospital. The girls made a bee-line toward the beds; as careful as Hermione was to make sure that she did not bump Harry's head on anything by accident, Luna was equally careful to run the Death Eater into as many objects as possible without straying too far from their path.


	11. Inner Demons

******AN: I'm getting to the end of this story arc. I have a sequel in mind but it is pending based on feedback. If you want the story to go on then you should to let me know via review. Anyway, enjoy. This chapter and the next go hand-in-hand with the following chapters acting as an end to this story arc.**

**Chapter 11**

Luna was not usually one to condone petty acts of vengeance. In her time at Hogwarts as Loony Lovegood she had been on the receiving end of many practical jokes but she knew that, more than anything else, her antagonists wanted to provoke a response from her. By denying them that response she was able to deny them the satisfaction that they sought. However, with the evil that she had witnessed from the Death Eaters she felt justified in making sure that Amycus Carrow woke up bruised with a massive headache.

Luna saw Hermione gently lay Harry down on one of the hospital beds and had a thought, _this Death Eater doesn't deserve to be side-by-side with someone like Harry, but we need to find out what spell he used against Harry and how to reverse its effects. _"Hermione, I'm going to convert a section of the room into a cell so we that we won't have to worry about this one anymore."

Before Luna had finished speaking she saw that the last bed in the row had been replaced with a box that was opaque on all sides but the front where there was a wrought-iron lattice of bars. She walked over to the recently created cell and took the Death Eater's wand before dumping his body unceremoniously on the floor. The Death Eater began to stir and Luna shut the door before casting the Defigo charm to make sure that the lock wouldn't fail.

* * *

In her peripheral vision, Hermione saw what Luna was doing over at the newly created cell. However, what Luna did with that Death Eater did not register compared to the maelstrom of emotions that had been whipped up when Harry had taken that curse for her. Her worst fear had been realized; her failure to act resulted in Harry being hurt. She needed him to wake up; hoping that it would work Hermione raised her wand at Harry and cast the Renervate charm. To her horror the revitalization charm failed to achieve her goal; Harry's slumber continued.

Changing tactics, Hermione attempted the slightly more obscure Enervate charm. This spell also failed to rouse the sleeping form of Harry Potter. Hermione didn't want to leave Harry's side, but she had to find out the countercurse if she was going to repay Harry's sacrifice. She walked over to where Luna was standing in front of the cell before saying, "We need to wake him up to figure out curse he cast on Harry."

Luna nodded, following Hermione's proposition as she woke the sleeping Death eater.

To say that Amycus Carrow was disoriented when he woke he returned to consciousness would be an understatement. In his mind, no time had elapsed between him dodging the mudblood's spell and him waking up in what appeared to be a cell. "Where am I," he shouted when he saw Hermione and Luna through the bars of his cage.

"You are not in a position to be asking questions," snapped Hermione. "Tell me the name of the spell that you hit Harry with in the corridor!"

Amycus chuckled at Hermione's distress. "I'll tell you the name of the curse, but that won't do you any good. It's called Demosdepasado; there is no counter curse. I crafted the spell to sentence a person to relive their most terrible memories in a never ending cycle."

"You complete and total wanker," growled Hermione as she lunged toward the bars separating her from their prisoner.

"Every spell has a weak point; if there is nothing that we can do, externally, then the spell must be broken by Harry, internally," reasoned Luna. "Don't worry; there is no one stronger than Harry."

* * *

Harry was aware that he had been struck by a spell that Amycus Carrow had fired at Hermione. He opened his eyes and found himself in the cave that Voldemort had used to hide the locket. As much as he wanted to stop feeding Dumbledore the potion that Voldemort had left in order weaken the one who managed to breach his defenses, it was as if Harry was a spectator. Through his own eyes, he watched himself following Dumbledore's instructions to continue giving him the potion regardless what he may say after he started drinking. He heard Dumbledore beg for death and he heard himself promise that death was merely one drink away.

Eventually the potion was only one drink away from being finished. After the last drink Dumbledore feebly asked for water and Harry attempted to oblige only to be caught by a swarm of Inferi. These Inferi seemed to be stronger than Harry remembered because they pulled him all the way to the bottom of the lake where he felt his body drowning. Just before the last bit of life left his body, Dumbledore saved him and the two were once again in the headmaster's office in Hogwarts. Dumbledore shot a Petrificus Totalus at Harry, thus missing the opportunity to prevent himself from being disarmed by Draco Malfoy. For the second time, Harry was forced to watch Dumbledore die.

Harry had closed his eyes in a silent scream; when he opened them he was back in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. After his body gave the command to Hermione, Ron, Luna, Ginny, and Neville to destroy the shelves of prophesies, Harry's heart was torn when he saw Antonin Dolohov his Hermione with an unnamed spell that caused her to crumple to the ground in a heap. In the Brain Room, he saw a confounded Ron summon a brain that would attempt to strangle the red-haired boy. Harry saw the look on Ginny's face as she valiantly limped along trying to avoid putting weight on a clearly broken ankle.

Harry saw Bellatrix Lestrange cast the Cruciatus curse on Nevelle, as a reminder of what she did to the boy's parents. He saw his comrade squirm because of the combination of emotional and physical anguish. Soon after, the Order of the Phoenix arrived and Harry and Sirius were fighting Antonin Dolohov and Lucius Malfoy near the veil. A bit of Marauder-esque teamwork allowed them to dispatch of their opponents. Unfortunately, the victory was short-lived; Bellatrix Lestrange was able to get past the guard of an over confident Sirius and hit him with a spell that knocked him into the Veil. Harry was forced to relive the loss of two of the most important men in his life.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hermione and Luna had begun the search for the diadem of Ravenclaw. During the search, Hermione made a point of putting any stray book that she came across, that wasn't property of Hogwarts' Library, into her magically expanded bag. She had acquired just over two hundred books by the time she saw a silver glint atop a precarious stack of ancient furniture. Knowing that horcruxes don't respond well to magic cast on them directly, Hermione levitated the throne-like chair, upon which the horcrux rested, down from the tower. As soon as she picked up the horcrux from the chair there was a rumbling sound; apparently the tower was held together based on a pressure charm cast on the chair. By removing the horcrux from the chair, Hermione initiated the fall of the tower.

Hermione attempted to outrun the cascade of debris by running back in the direction from which she had come. Not daring to waste time looking behind to see how close the torrent of debris was to catching her, Hermione was extremely surprised to feel a broom slide underneath her and lift her into the air. Turning around, hoping to see Harry, Hermione came face-to-face with Luna. "Thank you, Luna. I found the horcrux and triggered that avalanche that was chasing me."

"You're welcome, Hermione. I thought there may be some kind of protection designed to use the room's content as a measure of security. I found a wardrobe filled with fur coats and cast an enlargement charm on it, the curse seems to be following you; so we can direct the torrent into the wardrobe and save ourselves the effort of having to pack up the room before we leave," said Luna as the girls landed on top of the magical wardrobe.

The charmed furniture and objects followed Hermione's progress and Luna's plan worked flawlessly. Eventually all of the charmed objects had entered the wardrobe and Luna closed and locked it with the same spell that she used on Amycus Carrow's cell before shrinking the wardrobe and handing it to Hermione. Hermione placed it in her bag and fished out the cup of Hufflepuff and the sword of Gryffindor; she handed the sword to Luna as she placed the cup on the floor in front of her. "Your kidnapping allowed us to get this horcrux; it's up to you to destroy."

Luna nodded and took the sword. "At least I don't have to destroy the previously lost diadem of Ravenclaw." She then brought the sword down on the horcrux and the soul fragment was destroyed. When the horcrux was destroyed a concussive blast of black smoke shot out in all directions, knocking Hermione and Luna off their feet and obscuring their view of the room.

* * *

Harry found himself in the maze that was the third task of the Triwizard tournament. He faced the eerie loneliness that the maze perpetuated. He was forced to watch Viktor Krum, acting under the Imperius curse attack the French champion, Fleur Delacour. He and Cedric worked together to slay an oversized Acromantula. Then Harry was forced to watch as the two Hogwarts champions agreed to share the victory and take the cup together.

Harry was forced to watch a scene that had haunted him after he was physically transported to the graveyard for the second time in his life, Petter Pettigrew murdering Cedric Diggory. Harry was bound to the tombstone of Tom Riddle Sr. and forced to, once again, take part in the ritual that would restore Voldemort to power. Harry saw Voldemort's rebirth and felt the fear associated with the arrival of the Death Eaters; Harry was hopelessly out numbered and believed that his death was quickly approaching.

Voldemort's pride forced Harry into a defensive duel that began by Voldemort attempting to cast the Imperius curse on Harry. Several spells later, Harry and Voldemort's words joined in Priori Incantatem. Once again, Harry was forced to relive his parents being ejected from Voldemort's wand. However, it was as if the spectral projections could see Harry and they were encouraging the Harry that was trapped in the memory just as much as they were encouraging the Harry of memory who was living through the events first-hand. Harry strained to add his power to that of his memory self. The memory was supposed to end with Harry breaking the connection and returning to Hogwarts. Instead, the Harrys were able to overpower the Dark Lord and, after an explosion, he found himself transported to the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts castle.

Lying in front of Harry was a petrified Hermione Granger. In her hand was the note meant to alert whoever found her that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was a basilisk. Harry and Ron were joined by Gilderoy Lockhart when they mounted their rescue attempt of Ginny Weasley. He saw the professor attempt to turn Ron's wand on the two to modify their memories only to fail and ultimately end himself in St. Mungos. Harry had to make his way into the chamber alone. In the middle of the floor he saw Ginny lying on the ground in a heap.

"I've been waiting for you, Harry Potter," said the horcrux version of Tom Riddle.


	12. Power Gained, Powers Lost

******AN: This chapter concludes Harry's internal journey. The end is quickly approaching, if you like the story be sure to comment and let me know. The jury is still out on whether or not I should write the sequel.**

**Chapter 12**

Harry did not remember Voldemort addressing him so directly; this confused Harry.

"I can tell that you are wondering why this memory is different than the others. It's because this isn't a memory," leered the young Tom Riddle Jr. "We have almost broken through the spell that was cast upon us. You meet here, in the chamber of my ancestor to determine which of us will control this body. I will kill you and reassume my place as the ruler of the wizard world."

"How can you see me," asked Harry.

"I have always been a part of you, Potter. It is because of me that you can speak to snakes. It is because of me that you have such a strong grasp of "Defense Against" the Dark Arts. You gained your fame because of me and now it is time for you to return all of my favors. You cannot hope to defeat me," Riddle said as he assumed a battle stance facing Harry. "Avada Kedavra."

Harry subconsciously dodged Riddle's spell and drew his own wall. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Riddle swatted the spell away with practiced ease. "You cannot win, Harry Potter. I have been with you every battle of your pathetic life. I know you better than you know yourself."

Harry flourished his wand and cast a Reducto curse that was lazily sidestepped by his opponent. "Say what you want Voldemort, every time that you've tried to kill me you have failed!"

"Ha," laughed Voldemort. "You have never even managed to land an offensive spell on me. Each time that we have faced you have been forced to flee. Think about the past year, you are the one scurrying around like that rat Pettigrew while trying to escape the wrath of Lord Voldemort. You must know that your quest is futile. Your meager abilities and your inadequate power are not enough to conquer the greatest dark wizard of all time!"

Voldemort began with the Relámpago charm to shoot a bolt of lightning at his opponent.

Harry dodged and cast Lumos Maxima in order to blind Voldemort.

Expecting an Expelliarmus, Voldemort was taken aback by Harry's change of tactics. This caused both of his bone-breaking curses to miss and allowed Harry the time he needed to throw a Conjunctivitis Charm which further obscured Riddle's vision in his right eye.

Voldemort cast a trio of Reductos in rapid succession. Harry managed to dodge the first two but was struck by the third and blasted back. By the time that he had recovered, Voldemort was on him again. Harry only just managed a Protego spell to block a severing charm that was aimed at his neck.

Harry then cast a Stupefy which was casually deflected by Voldemort's wand.

"Give up, Harry Potter. We both know how this duel will end," stated Voldemort as he advanced toward Harry. "Crucio!"

* * *

Hermione and Luna regrouped after the blast that had come when Luna destroyed Hufflepuff's cup. After making sure that they were ok they made their way over to Harry and saw that his once unexpressive face had been covered by a grimace.

"Hang in there, Harry. I know that you can beat this curse," murmured Hermione as she took his hand and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I love you."

"Hermione, we should destroy the other horcrux," said Luna as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Hermione nodded and the two made their way to where they had left the cup of Hufflepuff. Hermione set the diadem down as she was handed the sword of Gryffindor by Luna.

"Do it for Harry," encouraged Luna.

Remembering the time in the woods with Harry, Hermione once again raised the sword above her head and brought it down upon Ravenclaw's diadem. Unlike the other two times that she had been present when a horcrux was destroyed Hermione did not see the blast of smoke that indicated that she had been successful in her mission. Instead she was transported to a dank chamber where she saw Harry engaging in battle with a young Slytherin.

* * *

Harry had been struck by many Cruciatus curses in his life; he had even been unfortunate enough to be struck by Voldemort's Cruciatus curse several times. Usually, this would not have been a good thing however it gave Harry the presence of mind that he needed to raise his wand and shoot a Expulso curse at his tormenter.

Voldemort did not expect Harry to have the mental fortitude to cast a spell while being tortured by the Cruciatus curse and was sent flying backward. Harry shook his head to clear the cobwebs from his brain. He knew that he would not be able to take much more punishment from Voldemort and knew that if he wasn't able to win this battle soon then he would lose everything that mattered to him; he could not allow his body to be taken over by Voldemort. Harry moved forward to face Voldemort again, who had since regained his footing.

The pair pointed their wands at each other and simultaneously yelled "Avada Kedavra." The streaks of green light met in the middle of the chamber. The dome that had encompassed Harry and Voldemort in the graveyard paled in comparison to the vast dome created within the Chamber of Secrets. Harry could hear Fawkes singing and see the memories of all the good times of his life flashing on the walls of the dome.

Harry saw himself as an eleven year old receiving his letter to Hogwarts; learning that he would be able to escape the Dursleys. He saw himself as a first year, making the first friends of his life. He saw himself as a third year, learning the Patronus charm from Remus Lupin and helping Sirius escape the Dementor's Kiss. He saw himself as a fourth year, out-flying a Hungarian Horntail dragon. He saw himself as a fifth year, leading Dumbledore's Army. He saw himself as a sixth year convincing Slughorn to give him the memory that Dumbledore needed to verify just how many horcruxes Voldemort had made. He saw himself with Hermione over the past year.

Harry would not let himself lose this battle, he had told Hermione he would be her rock; he had told her that he would be there for her. Harry felt as if a damn had burst inside of him, he felt more powerful than he had ever felt in his life. It may have just been a projection on the dome created by Priori Incantatem but Harry could see Hermione as if she was in the chamber with him, encouraging him. Harry focused his new found power through his wand and directed it through their connection at Voldemort. The huge ball that erupted from the end of Harry's wand raced along the beam of light that connected the two phoenix feather wands before swallowing the bead that had symbolized the balance of power between Harry and Voldemort. The blast destroyed Voldemort's wand and body before blasting through the dome created by the Priori Incantatem.

* * *

Luna was beside herself. When Hermione had destroyed the diadem she immediately collapsed. Not knowing what to do, Luna levitated her friend's fallen body to the bed next to Harry. Each minute seemed like an hour as Luna waited on any signs of life from her unconscious friends. Luna was starting to fall asleep when she heard both of her friends gasp.

"You're all right," exclaimed the Ravenclaw as she rushed to the embrace her Gryffindor comrades.

"Harry, you were brilliant," shouted Hermione. "I'm so glad that you're ok. I was so worried about you."

"I found my power," Harry replied mysteriously while looking back and forth between Hermione and Luna. "It seems that Dumbledore was on to something when he preached about the power of love. I would do anything to protect those I love; I just had to realize that for myself."

"You faced him again, Harry," Hermione whispered. "I had suspected that the reason that you were so attuned to Voldemort's horcruxes was because he had inadvertently stored a piece of his soul when you were a baby. This verifies my suspicions, but you beat him. I'm so proud of you, Harry!"

"Thanks, Hermione. It was weird at first I was forced to relive my worst memories in a way that would have made dementors seem mild. It all changed when I got to the graveyard, I was able to act."

"That must have been when we destroyed the first horcrux," reasoned Hermione. "Your expression changed once it was destroyed."

"Then you must have destroyed the second horcrux when I was in the Chamber of Secrets. That was when I realized that I couldn't allow anyone else to suffer because of me. I cast the killing curse at Voldemort and we were locked into a Priori Incantatem. It was different from the graveyard though, instead of seeing spells emerge from Voldemort's wand I saw my memories of the best times of my life projected on the dome," Harry said while looking at Hermione. "I thought that I saw you and I knew that I couldn't allow Voldemort to use my body to hurt you or anyone else."

"That must have been when you unleashed that massive blast that tore through Voldemort and the dome," said Hermione. "Now if we can find a way to get the snake then all of the horcruxes will have been destroyed."

* * *

When the young Tom Riddle Jr. learned about horcruxes the prospect of immortality set him on the path that would be considered the First Rise. The young wizard would willingly sacrifice the lives of others to ensure his own immortality. Now someone was working to undo all that he had accomplished. Although he was not able to feel the destruction of the diary, the ring, or the locket, the combined loss of the horcruxes that Harry, Hermione, Luna, and Albus Dumbledore had destroyed hit Voldemort like an avalanche. He was not able to differentiate which horcruxes were destroyed but the sense of loss caused by such a large portion of his soul being extinguished was not something that could be ignored.

Lord Voldemort, for the first time in many years, felt uncertainty. Even when he was surviving as a wraith while possessing the snakes of Albania he had never doubted that he would eventually return to the world of the living. Monday was the first day of classes at Hogwarts and he intended to let the students know that things were going to change. Hogwarts was his and he would not tolerate dissent from the student body.

_Those who oppose me have never stood a chance; it is time that they are forced to recognize this. Those who have faced my power have fallen. My power is so absolute that even the old fool that those 'Light' families rallied behind met his end at my order. There shall be no more 'Light' or 'Dark' there will be those who serve me and those who are dead. The Ministry of Magic has fallen; the newly appointed Minister of Magic himself is no more than my puppet. I will gather my army and I will take Hogwarts. _These thoughts fired through Voldemort's mind as he pressed upon his Dark Mark and called his most loyal Death Eaters to him.

With each second more and more Death Eaters arrived; eventually there stood just shy of thirty men who had distinguished himself in some way from the rank-and-file Death Eaters that would make up the body of the Dark Army. Walking in a circle, Vlodemort addressed those who had responded to his call, "My loyal followers, over the past years we have accomplished much. No longer do we hide in the shadows. My power is undeniable; we cannot be defeated! It is time to let those who would attempt to resist the futility of standing against my power. Although our successes have been great, one beacon shines to those who would defy my power. The time has come to take Hogwarts." _Hogwarts is my right; as is the Elder Wand. I will have both and then no one will question my power again!_


	13. The Wonders of Requirement

******AN: I hope that you are enjoying the story. The next few chapters take a step back from the action to build the plot; at the very least this story will end up being 16 chapters. So take some time and review, they really make my day.**

**Chapter 13**

It had been many years since the boy named Tom Riddle Jr. had walked the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Since those days the boy had lost his grasp on humanity and transformed into the entity known as Lord Voldemort. Lord Voldemort had gathered his army and was prepared to return to the halls where he had first learned to wield magic.

_With an army over 200 strong it will be impossible to advance on the castle without raising the guard of the teachers; however I am positive that Severus and the Carrows will not fail to put an end to any resistance movement that could be an obstacle for the army I have raised. _Voldemort thought as he watched while his army assembled within the Forbidden Forest.

* * *

In the Room of Requirement Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Luna Lovegood were plotting their next move. Although things had been considerably quieter since the trio had managed to destroy Voldemort's horcruxes the group had not rested on their laurels. Harry had just finished looking over the Marauder's Map one last time before the trio would make a break for Minerva McGonagall's office.

"We need allies, he is building his army," said Harry in response to Harmione's suggestion that they wait until the students get back and use the D.A. coins to get a message out to those they considered trustworthy. At the end of the fifth year, only Neville Longbottom and Luna had heeded the call in their time of distress and Harry wanted to make sure that the castle had considerably more fire-power at its disposal when faced with Voldemort.

"Yes, but we have a lot more at stake being caught sneaking out now than we had in the past," argued a flustered Hermione. "The students arrive tomorrow. It seems out of character for Voldemort to do something as drastic as take over Hogwarts when there won't be anyone around to witness his efforts."

"I agree with Harry, if we don't know when we will be attacked then it would be best to be on guard at all times," added Luna.

"Thanks, Luna. We need McGonagall to alert the Order for us. If she can do that then I'm sure that Hogwarts would allow us the means to get them into the castle," reasoned Harry. As if on cue, a large fireplace appeared on the adjacent wall of the castle. "That's it! Dumbledore had said that help would be given by Hogwarts to those who deserve it. The castle wants us to be prepared; I bet that Order members would be able to Floo in using that fireplace."

"Harry, if that's true then we have absolutely no reason to leave this room. Do you see anyone in professor McGonagall's office besides her?" asked Hermione with a smile.

"Um, no," replied Harry after checking his map.

"Excellent," responded Hermione as she grabbed a pinch of the powder that was hanging next to the fireplace into the flames and called out, "Professor McGonagall's office!"

"Good heavens, dear. You gave me a terrible start," stated Minerva McGonagall as she bent down so that she could be seen through the flames. "You must know the danger of contacting me using this manner."

"Yeah, I considered it for a second before I reached a conclusion that I hope you will agree with. The castle's Floo network is probably monitored, but would a call register as strange if it was made between to rooms inside of the castle?" asked Hermione.

Minerva McGonagall appeared very pensive as she considered Hermione's question. "Surely, you must not mean what I believe that you are implying. However, if you are then I must insist that you tell me what room is connected so that I can assure that the school has not been compromised."

"It's a very special room that gave us the opportunity to band together during our fifth year in order to receive the defensive training that we could not get during that horrible Umbridge's brief stay in the castle," answered Hermione while hoping that her favorite professor would know to which room she was referring. "I'm sure that if you were looking that the room wouldn't want to be found."

"I see, please excuse me. A pressing situation has just come to my attention," McGonagall ended the call.

"You would have done well in Ravenclaw, Hermione," said Luna. "Although, I must admit that those allusions were rather unimaginative."

Hermione had just formulated a response when the door was flung open and professor McGonagall entered before quickly closing the door behind her.

"Professor McGonagall," chorused Harry and Hermione.

"Although I'm extremely pleased to see the three of you alive and unharmed, I must say that nothing good can come of you being in this castle," admonished the Transfiguration professor as she swept Harry and Hermione up into a hug. "If the Carrows or Severus had spotted you coming into the castle then the results would have been disastrous."

"We ran into the Carrows when we arrived; the brother managed to hit Harry with a terrible spell and Hermione was able to hit the other with something just as nasty," reported Luna as if she was mentioning that the sky was blue. "I managed to knock the one who hit Harry out; he's in the cage over there," she said while indicating one of the few items that hadn't been relocated into the wardrobe by the Horcrux induced avalanche of objects.

"What happened to the other Carrow," softly asked the professor.

"She won't be hurting anyone anymore," replied Hermione as she averted her gaze from her favorite professor.

"Don't worry dear, I'm sure that whatever spell you used was appropriate given the severity of the situation that you three have found yourselves in over the past summer," encouraged McGonagall. "By the way, I must say that I am rather to see Luna Lovegood here with you instead of Mr. Weasley."

"Yeah, we kind of had a falling out," Harry replied quickly.

His professor appeared concerned and prompted, "I think that you should tell me what has transpired since you were last in this castle."

"Well, during my sixth year professor Dumbledore was spending time with me in order to teach me about Voldemort. During these sessions it was verified that Voldemort was able to survive our encounter as a baby because he had made horcruxes. When I was a second-year I had unknowingly destroyed one in the Chamber of Secrets. In between my fifth and sixth years Dumbledore managed to destroy another. On the night of Dumbledore's death, he and I went to a cave where Dumbledore suspected that Voldemort had hidden a third horcrux. He drank a potion that robbed him of his senses and when we were finally able to retrieve the locket it turned out that someone had beaten us to it. So Hermione, Ron, and I knew that we had to find the locket. A memory of Horace Slughorn verified that there were seven horcruxes made. Two had been destroyed, one we knew for sure, the other four were thought to be items representative of the founders and Voldemort's snake. We broke into the ministry and managed to get the locket but eventually the task of carrying it became too much for Ron and he left," explained Harry.

"From there Harry and I went to Godric's Hollow and saw the graves of three brothers with a strange symbol carved into the headstone. Seeking more information we went to the one place that we knew we could find answers; the house of Xenophilius Lovegood who wore the symbol during Bill and Fleur's wedding. When we got there we saw Lucius Malfoy and some Death Eaters making off with Luna and knew that we couldn't leave her in their clutches. So we got Mr. Lovegood to cooperate with us by sending the Death Eaters a Patronus offering me in Luna's place then managed to ambush them when they arrived. Then, we used the Imperius Curse on Lucius and had him do the same on the other Death Eaters so that we would have more wands on our side when they took us to the Malfoy Manor to rescue Luna," continued Hermione.

"There we found Luna and Mr. Ollivander, who we were able to rescue. Bellatrix Lestrange let it slip that she had a horcrux in her vault so we went to Gringotts. Since we had Bellatrix with us, the goblins didn't ask questions. Unfortunately, all of the Imperius curses triggered the Thief's Downfall. Quick spell casting from Mr. Ollivander was able to save me, Hermione, Luna, himself, and Bellatrix but the Malfoys and Yaxley weren't so lucky," added Harry before stopping at the look on McGonagall's expression.

Hermione quickly picked up where he left off. "We made it to Bellatrix's vault and found the cup but Mr. Ollivander was adamant that the goblins would be out for our blood. He took us to a cavern that led to a tunnel that he and some others had used in the past to end a goblin rebellion. Hogwarts really needs a better History of Magic teacher…"

Harry cut Hermione off before she could go off on that tangent. "Mr. Ollivander sacrificed himself in order to give us time to escape. We disapparated just outside Hogsmeade and I felt Voldemort's rage at the thought of someone hunting his horcruxes. He also showed me that there was a horcrux here at Hogwarts. We were able to have Dobby bring us to the corridor right outside this room where we met the Carrows."

"Harry was so brave when he jumped in front of that spell to protect Hermione," interjected Luna causing McGonagall to smile.

"When I was hit by that spell I was forced to watch the worst memories of my life while being unable to act. Until Luna destroyed the first of the horcruxes that were in the room; at that moment I was given an instant where I was able to access some of my power and fight against the negative images that I was being forced to watch. Eventually I found myself in the Chamber of Secrets where, instead of a memory, I found an image of Tom Riddle Jr. who I was forced to fight to maintain control of my body. If not for Hermione destroying the other horcrux then I don't think that I would have succeeded but I realized that I needed to protect her and found the power that was buried within me," stated Harry.

"Harry was the horcrux that never should have been," added Hermione making McGonagall gasp. "Instead of splitting his soul into seven parts, Voldemort accidentally separated his soul into eight: the diary, the ring, the locket of Salazar Slytherin, a cup that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, the diadem of Ravenclaw, his snake Nagini, and Harry were his horcruxes while the last part resides in his body."

"Voldemort has two fragments left and he knows it," said Harry. "He is dangerous and I think that he will be making his move very soon."

"That is certainly a lot to take in," responded McGonagall. She had tears in her eyes as she once again embraces Harry. "You are so young but you have been through so much. I'm glad that you were able to get in touch with me, I will do anything to help you."

"Professor McGonagall, we need you to rally those who are loyal to the light," said Harry. "We have a fireplace that can be used as a Floo. We think that Voldemort is going to try something once the students get here."

"Alright, Potter. I will do what I can. **By the way, it's good to have you back**," agreed a very proud head of house as she made her way to the exit.

As the door was closing, Harry, Hermione, and Luna were alerted by a flushing sound behind them. Somehow, improbably, there stood Ron Weasley.

* * *

**AN2: I borrowed the bolded section above from the the decond Deathly Hallow movie. I think that the way Minerva McGonagall was portrayed was excellent. I do not own Harry Potter or that quote.**


	14. First Things, First

******AN: Can you feel it? The ending to this story arc is getting close. This chapter and the next chapter show different aspects of the process of the mobilization process for those who seek to defend Hogwarts. Slight Weasley bashing but nothing astronomical; I always had a problem with how easily Harry had welcomed Ron back into the fold. Then again, I guess saving Harry's life from does give one some lee-way. Anyway, here is the chapter. I hope that you enjoy it and can take some time to let me know what you think. It was a surprisingly difficult chapter to write.**

**Chapter 14**

"Hello Ron," said Luna adopting her Loony persona.

"Ron, what are you doing here?" spat Harry.

"More importantly, how did you get here?' asked Hermione.

"It was the lighter that Dumbledore left me," explained Ron. "I heard Harry say my name and wished that I could undo that night that I left the campsite. Then next thing I knew a bubble appeared and I saw you three talking with professor McGonagall. When she was leaving I worried that the connection would be broken so I reached for the bubble and, after a tug of magic, I found myself here."

"Ron, you left us when we needed you most," said Harry in a painfully sharp tone. Harry was about to say more when Hermione strode over to Ron and slapped him in the face.

"You wanker, how could you? If you heard our conversation with McGonagall then you know what we've been through. You weren't there for us then and we don't need you now," shouted Hermione. "Your whole family prides itself on being members of the house of bravery. Well, let me ask you this, where was your bravery that night in the forest?"

"She is right Ron, I was always proud to call you my best friend. I gave you my friendship easily on the Hogwarts Express our first year but this time you will have to earn it," added Harry.

"While I think you two have every right to be angry with Ronald I think that you should probably keep in mind just how desperate the situation is; we just asked McGonagall for help. Maybe you should give Ronald the chance to redeem himself," suggested Luna.

"Thanks, Luna. Harry… Hermione… I'm sorry for abandoning you. I know what you must think of me because of it. Every day I hurt on the inside and wished that I had never made the decision to leave. I couldn't be by your side for all that you've faced but I promise to stand by you now. I know it's asking a lot but just give me a chance," pleaded Ron.

"This doesn't mean that we forgive you," stated Harry while looking at his one-time best friend. "Prove yourself in the battle and it will go a long way in repairing our friendship."

* * *

Minerva McGonagall had just gotten back to her quarters. During her walk back from the Room of Requirement her pride in her students had swelled and she knew that she would do anything to keep the students of Hogwarts safe. Unbeknownst to her, the castle registered her dedication to the well-being of the students and deemed her the successor to Dumbledore. This gave the already powerful Transfiguration professor a sizable increase to her already deep magical reserves.

She went to the Journey Book that connected her to the other members of the Order of the Phoenix and began writing.

_Fellow Order members, _

_I call upon you at this hour to let you know that I have it from a good source that an attack on Hogwarts is imminent. Hogwarts must not fall to the Dark Lord; Hogwarts is the symbol of hope for the magical world for two reasons. First, much of the population attended Hogwarts when they were younger and consider Hogwarts to be one of the safest places in Magical Britain. Second, tomorrow the children arrive. The children are our future; if we let the Dark Lord have his way then it will be a very dark future, indeed. Please hear my cry and realize what is at stake, the last stand is upon us and we will need every able bodied wizard on our side if we hope to stand against the might of the Dark Lord. I have associates who have managed to create a secure Floo that will allow those who seek to protect Hogwarts and its students to enter the castle. _

_-M.M._

Minerva McGonagall had set things in motion. Now the only thing to do was to wait and see who responded to her call. She promised herself that she would keep the students safe and her recently reinforced power combined with her devotion began to strengthen the wards responsible for protecting the castle.

* * *

The mood in the Room of Requirement was tense. Although Hermione and Harry saw the value of having another wand at their side for the coming battle, they had no desire to engage in pleasantries with their no longer estranged friend. Although Ron and Luna were more acquaintances than actual friends, instead of encroaching on his fellow Gryffindors he sought her company.

"I wish that they would just put it behind them," whispered Ron. "Why can't life be more like Wizard's Chess?"

"If you are asking that then I think that you missed the reason for which everyone is fighting," answered Luna. "In Wizards' Chess there is one king that controls every other piece. In real life Voldemort wants to be that king and he has staged this war to achieve that goal. We fight him so that everyone has the right to be their own king; so that everyone has the right to choose their own path."

Ron stared at her blankly for a second as he attempted to process what Luna had just said. "Ok Luna, whatever that means… It just seems like life would be so much simpler if it was like Wizards' Chess."

"I thought that you may have a Wrackspurt on the brain and you have just proved it," replied Luna in an airy voice.

Just then, the fire place came to life in a burst of green flames that indicated that someone would be arriving via the Floo network. This event captured the attention of every witch and wizard in the room. Without thinking, Harry and Hermione had drawn their wands and pointed them at the fireplace. Luna and Ron were quick to follow their lead and aim their wands at the fireplace also. In a quick procession from the fireplace stepped Bill and Fleur Weasley.

Bill and Fleur were ecstatic when they realized that McGonagall's reliable source was none other than Harry Potter.

"'Arry," exclaimed Fleur as she rushed forward to give Harry a hug when she saw her fellow Triwizard champion. "Where 'ave you been?"

"It is such a relief to know that you are all safe," said Bill. "Mom was frantic when you three disappeared from the wedding. We heard about you three breaking into the Ministry. Where have you been since then?"

"That is kind of a long story," answered Harry while glancing toward Hermione. "We were doing everything we could to make sure that we would be able to defeat Voldemort."

Bill turned to address Ron. "Hopefully you didn't do anything too dangerous. Mom was worrying herself gray over you."

"Oh, you didn't run back to your mommy when you left us Ron," spat Hermione. "You must have realized that the only thing that would have made her more upset with you than going on dangerous missions with your friends would be you running away and leaving your friends to face that danger by themselves."

Ron looked very uncomfortable. "I said I'm sorry and I'm here now."

Bill's jaw clenched when he heard Hermione leveling the accusation toward his brother. The Weasley parents had strove to engrain in their children the importance of protecting those who are important to you. "Ron, is what Hermione said true?"

Ron felt the disappointment radiating from his brother. "Yeah, the mission got to my head and I couldn't take anymore. I'm not proud that I made my friends face the dangers that they faced without me but I will do anything to make up for my mistake."

"Well, what 'ave you been doing?" questioned Fleur while looking very unimpressed with her brother-in-law.

"I first went to Diagon Ally and was able to get a room in the Leaky Cauldron but I realized I couldn't just wash dishes and clean a tavern while Harry and Hermione were out there. So, I went back to the place where we made camp and couldn't find them. I wandered the wood for a while and came across a group of muggle-borns who were on the run from You-Know-Who and his people. A group of Snatchers was somehow managing to track them using their Wizarding Wireless receiver; I helped fight them off," concluded Ron.

"That was nice," Luna chimed in while beaming at the other people in the room. "It's always good to help people who are less capable."

"Luna is right, although you shouldn't have abandoned your friend I won't hex you because you were able to save a group of people from a terrible fate," dead-panned Bill.

"Harry and Hermione were very brave when they broke into Malfoy manor to save me," added Luna.

Bill and Fleur were incredulous that Luna was so casual about the fact that she had been kidnapped. However, in order to avoid having to repeat the tale for every new arrival Harry decided to steer the conversation in another direction. "Anyway, how have things been for the two of you since the wedding?"

"Well, we didn't exactly get to have our dream honey moon with the Ministry falling but at least our family hasn't been subjected to the scrutiny that other families have faced. Luckily, they bought that the ghoul was Ron with Dragon Pox. We've been staying in Shell Cottage and keeping a low profile when we weren't out Order missions," answered Bill.

A fire erupted in the fireplace Right as Bill was finishing his explantion indicating that more people would be arriving shortly."Wotcher," greeted Nymphadora Tonks when she appeared in the firsplace. She stepped out of the way and was quickly followed by Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

The conversation that followed was pretty similar to the conversation that had just occurred. Harry and Hermione kept the majority of their adventure to themselves and only had to go into detail once due to a comment from Luna. However, since Luna had not been with them the entire journey there were not many details that she could inadvertently share with the new arrivals. Like Bill and Fleur, the new arrivals were very disappointed that Ron had abandoned his friends. However, more than anything, they were glad to hear that the whole group had safely made it to Hogwarts. Eventually, the rest of the Order arrived and Hermione called professor McGonagall to let her mentor know that the defensive force was in position.

* * *

In her quarters Minerva McGonagall reminisced, thinking over the years that Harry and Hermione had spent as Gryffindors. Even though she tried to avoid doing so, McGonagall had frequently cast the two as a second coming of James and Lily and hoped that they would be able to find each other in the romantic sense. In their first year she saw Harry save the young muggle-born Hermione despite the fact that the two were not friends. After that, to McGonagall, it was obvious that the love that Hermione had misinterpreted the love that she felt toward Harry as familial.

Minerva McGonagall had witnessed the way that Hermione's petrification had affected Harry during his second year when the Chamber of Secrets had been reopened. When they were third years McGonagall was proud that Hermione wanted to prove her abilities as a muggle-born witch by learning as many facets of magic as possible and thus had petitioned on the young witch's behalf for a Time-Turner. At first it had seemed like the getting the Time-Turner for Hermione at that age was a mistake; Hermione was ostracized from Harry and the rest of her peers. However, she had also heard the way that Hermione had encouraged Harry to access the power to fend off over 100 Dementors who sought to take the souls of the Harry Potter from the original timeline and Sirius Black.

Then the young pair was tested again in their fourth year when Minerva was forced to watch the students of Hogwarts, her Gryffindors included, shun young Potter. Once again, it was Miss Granger who had stood by his side; Miss Granger spent hours practicing spells with Harry to make sure that he was properly prepared. Then as fifth years, it was Hermione who had put her faith in Harry to teach her and the rest of the group known as Dumbledore's Army how to defend themselves from the darkness that had risen.

Minerva knew how the two gravitated toward one another and hoped that they would realize that, when it comes to love, there is no time like the present.


	15. Light Reasoning

******AN: This chapter made me realize why authors write one-shots. There is a chance that I may expand on the character foundations that I have created with this chapter eventually. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope that you enjoy reading it; Happy Fourth of July! I like reviews more than fireworks. :-)**

**Chapter 15**

Neville Longbottom had just arrived at Platform 9 and ¾. His grandmother Augusta had told him that he would have to be on his guard when he got back to Hogwarts. The Longbottom matron had fallen ill, and could not take part in guarding Hogwarts, but she trusted Neville to uphold the family honor. Neville found it odd to be returning to Hogwarts after all that had happened since Dumbledore's death. As a first year, Neville Longbottom would have been classified as shy and timid. After the battle at the ministry, the shy, timid, and nervous boy had gained confidence in his abilities and his friends. Neville could not be certain what the future would entail but he was certain that he would do what was required of him to make his parents proud while living up to the Longbottom name.

These were the thoughts that went through Neville's head when he felt the Galleon that Hermione Granger had charmed for the members of Dumbledores Army heat up. He looked at the Galleon that was so intrinsically linked to the change that had occurred to his personality and saw that either Harry or Hermione were calling for a meeting right after the Start of Term feast.

* * *

Cho Chang's life had been on a downward spiral since Dumbledore's death. Her parents had been among those deemed unworthy and expelled from the ministry for supposedly being unworthy. Although the Changs were as pure as any of the Noble and Ancient houses of Magical Britain they faced the same discrimination as the muggle-born population because of the racism that had been so deeply embedded in Britain's magical population. The Changs, upon being ejected from their Ministry positions, found themselves effectively blacklisted; since they were deemed unworthy to work in the Ministry no one wanted to take a chance associating with the family.

Cho had determined that she would stand against the corrupt system that had caused so much distress for her and her family. She didn't do it often but, perhaps to symbolize her decision to rebel against the pre-established order, Cho had taken out her D.A. Galleon and was surprised, sitting in her compartment on the Hogwarts Express, to feel the metal warm up. This was her chance, Cho would fight.

* * *

Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot, as usual, were sharing a compartment with Ernie McMillan. The three were currently discussing the state of the magical world. Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones were practically sisters; they had grown up together and had every intention of sharing every important moment of their lives with the other. Thus when it became known that Voldemort had personally killed Madam Bones, Susan's Aunt, Hannah shared in her friend's grief. Although Ernie was not as close with the two girls as they were with one another his Hufflepuff loyalty ensured that he would support them in their vendetta against the Dark Lord.

Although each of the three had one of Hermione's charmed Galleons it was Hannah who felt the heat that indicated that the D.A. was being called together once again. As Hufflepuffs when it became known that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had used the coins to call for help before their highly publicized trip to the ministry during their fifth year and no Hufflepuff had heeded the call the trio had resolved to keep the coins on hand, just in case such a call may be made again. Now they would be given the opportunity to atone for not being there when their friends needed them. The three nodded in agreement indicating that they would go to the proposed meeting.

* * *

Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and Angelina Johnson, Gryffindor tower's flying vixens, had all been signed upon graduating the previous team to various professional English quidditch teams. They hadn't had many opportunities to reunite since their separation. In commemoration of the day that they knew the Hogwarts Express would be taking a new batch of first years to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry they had agreed to meet at a pub for a drink. They were in the process of reliving the good times that they had at Hogwarts.

Katie Bell had always strove to be the best quidditch player that she could be after a certain green-eyed seeker had been appointed to the team during her second year in hopes that he would take notice of her. She was still slightly bitter that he never had approached her and asked her out on a date but, in order to remind herself of what had encouraged her to practice so hard during her years at Hogwarts, she had turned her D.A. Galleon into a necklace that rested right over her heart. Initially when she felt it begin to heat up she attributed it to the Firewhiskey that Alicia loved to make the group drink. After about twenty seconds, Katie realized that the heat was coming from the necklace. She showed her friends and the group determined that they would Floo McGonagall to arrange a visit to Hogwarts. Leaving the rest of their drinks untouched the girls made their way over to the owner of the Hog's Head to see if he would let them use his Floo.

* * *

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had been under intense scrutiny from the new Ministry of Magic. It had been a well-known fact that Fred and George Weasley were the ones responsible for equipping the Department for Magical Law Enforcement and the Auror office with charmed hats and gloves. These hats and gloves provided the wielder with a shield charm powerful enough to prevent most basic offensive spells for a short while.

Under the pretense that they were operating their business as usual, the twins had secretly been mass producing these defensive garments since they had received the message that professor McGonagall expected there to be an attack on Hogwarts. Their initial reaction was that they should immediately respond, but McGonagall had insisted that by making sure that the students and defenders of Hogwarts would be protected from collateral spell damage. The twins were almost finished with the spell work and would Floo to Hogwarts shortly.

* * *

The Patil twins, Lavender Brown, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were somewhat surprised when their apartment door was opened by a determined looking Ginny Weasley. The group had noticed, but was not surprised, that the three most visible Gryffindors of their year were conspicuously absent. They mused about where their classmates could possibly be since they weren't on the train. It was commonly known that the group had managed to break into the Ministry of Magic over the summer but then they had fallen off the map.

Eventually the conversation turned into a discussion of what changes the school would face since Dumbledore's death the previous year. Collectively they hoped that that they weren't going to be subjected to another Umbridge. They were musing about the possible successors to the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts. The conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door to their compartment followed by a determined looking Ginny Weasley.

* * *

Before Ginny Weasley went to bed on the previous night she had overheard her parents talking about a message that they had received from professor McGonagall. The Weasley parents had been discussing their plan to maintain appearances by being sighted while dropping Ginny off at King's Cross station before they travelled to Hogwarts via Floo. Although Ginny wasn't able to ascertain what was prompting her parents to travel to Hogwarts she had put two and two together and reasoned that Hogwarts must be in danger.

Based on her assumptions, Ginny had reached out to several other witches and wizards in her year and proposed reviving the D.A. to make sure that they were prepared for battle and not forced to sit on the side-lines while those they cared about put their lives on the line. Ginny was smiled as she recalled how receptive the older Gryffindors had been to the idea when she approached them before settling in the compartment that she was sharing with had walked into the compartment that she was currently sharing with the Creevey brothers, Nigel Wolpert, and Romilda Vane. Ginny knew that she had done the right thing when she felt her charmed D.A. Galleon being to heat up.

* * *

Of all the people in the Room of Requirement, Harry, Hermione, and Luna had been there the longest. Thus they were able to witness how the room adapted itself to their evolving needs as more and more people had arrived.

"Hermione, do you really think that anyone will see the coins," asked Harry.

"Honestly, I don't know," responded Hermione with an uncertain look on her face. "We just have to hope that one or two of the members of the D.A. had held on to their coins and that they will spread the message to everyone else."

"I think it was a great idea. I think that, now especially, more people will be reaching for the hope and promise represented by those charmed Galleons than ever before," said Luna in a surprisingly certain tone. "I know that I have held onto mine since we went to the Ministry on the HJP Rescue Mission."

"Well, as they say, the dice have been cast," stated Hermione. "We won't know how many people got the message until after tonight's feast."

"Right, you, Hermione," beamed Luna. "The door is opening, it must be professor McGonagall."

Luna was correct; the newly recognized Headmistress entered the room and drew everyone's attention. "Friends and colleagues, you have come here heeding a call that I sent out based on information that I received from the young, Mr. Potter. I trust Potter and believe that there is a real threat to the safety of those of Hogwarts. As soon as the students arrive tomorrow we shall cast the Fianto Duri, Protego Maxima, and Repello Inimigotum spells in order to make sure that the students are protected. I understand that this may seem a bit extreme given that we are acting on the word of someone who until very recently we thought of as a child but I assure you that Albus Dumbledore would have wanted us to put our trust in Harry. "

Throughout her speech, McGonagall had made her way to Harry. Under her breath she asked if he had anything that he wanted to add. Upon seeing his nod she redirected the room's attention by saying, "And now Mr. Potter would like a chance to speak."

Harry stepped forward so that he was standing beside his former Transfiguration professor. "Thank you all for coming here. Despite what you may have read in the Daily Prophet I do not just make things up because I want attention. Over the past year I have been acting under the instructions of professor Dumbledore. Due to incredibly dark magic Voldemort was able to cling to life when the killing curse that he had fired at me when I was a baby rebounded and hit him; over the past year I, along with Hermione and Luna, have been working to undo the magic that has allowed the supposed supposed 'Dark Lord' to flee from death. Unfortunately he recently realized what we have been doing and is now marching here to break the will of those who would oppose him. I do not wish this battle upon any of you, but if we are going to have to face him and his followers I think it is best that we stand together and don't give him the opportunity to pick us off individually; together we stand the best chance. I don't know when the battle will come but I believe that he will look upon our protective barrier as a challenge the final confrontation is coming and it will be an honor to be able to fight alongside the witches and wizards who have come here today."

"Well said, Harry," said a teary-eyed McGonagall. "Does anyone else have anything that they would like to add?"

Surprisingly, it was Ron Weasley who stepped forward to speak. "I haven't always made the best decisions in my life. I've been jealous, unreasonable, and probably a hundred other things that make me ashamed of myself. This summer, I abandoned Harry and Hermione. Now I intend to take this opportunity to stand beside them while we face the greatest challenge of our lives. I just wanted to say that I will do everything in my power to make sure that we win this war."

"Brave words, Mr. Weasley," acknowledged McGonagall.

Hermione moved so that she was standing next to Harry. "We have seen a lot over the past years. Together we have succeeded in many situations where individually we would have failed. The upcoming battle will be dangerous and it is very probable that some of our number will fall. I ask all of you to keep in mind what we are fighting for. We aren't just fighting just for ourselves but for our future as well. We fight for our children; so that they can have a future. So that they can go to school and not have to fear that, while they are in classes, their family is in danger. Harry, I will always be there for you. You were my first friend and have always been there for me, no matter what. I want to be by your side for this battle and for the rest of our lives. Harry James Potter, I love you with all my heart."

There were wolf-whistles as Hermione finished her speech and turned to Harry and gave him a kiss. Harry's brain was temporarily frozen by Hermione's public declaration of love but the kiss was hot enough to kick him into overdrive. Harry opened his mouth to allow Hermione's probing tongue entrance. Her arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her closer and her arms wrapped around his neck as she attempted to convey all of the love that she felt for him through that one kiss.

While Minerva McGonagall's heart was brimming with joy at the sight of two of her favorite pupils embracing their love she had also been raised in a different age where such public displays of affection were strongly discouraged. Thus she was the one who cleared her throat loudly to remind Harry and Hermione that they were still under the scrutiny of the Order of the Phoenix.

Remembering where they were, Harry fought his desire to continue kissing his beloved Hermione and pulled back slightly. "I love you too, Hermione. I couldn't imagine a future without you," Harry stated still breathless from the kiss.

"Get a room, why don't ya," someone shouted from the crowd.

"Well, we had one before you lot showed up," joked Harry as he took Hermione's hand. "Professor McGonagall, could you have some of the elves bring us some food. If we are going to be going in to battle soon then we should probably get something in our stomachs."


	16. Working Up the Nerve

**AN: Sorry for the delay on getting this chapter posted. I had just started a second job and it has been eating into the free time that I had planned to use to finish out this story. I'm not sure how long it will take me to wrap everything up but I plan to have the next chapter up very soon. I liked the direction that the previous chapter had taken me and tried to incorporate a little bit of that into this chapter. The next chapter will expand on this chapter and the points of view of some of those presented in the previous chapter. I hope that you enjoy the chapter. Please review! They really do inspire creativity.**

**Chapter 16**

Severus Snape knew what the Dark Lord expected of him. The students would be arriving any minute and he would address them and inform them that things would be changing around Hogwarts. Severus was astonished when the Dark Lord informed him that he was mobilizing his followers in order to march on Hogwarts. He thought back on the times that he had spent with Dumbledore, before being forced to kill the old man, and realized that it was almost time to initiate the final stage of the plan. As Dumbledore predicted, the time has come when Lord Voldemort has become extremely moody and wary of letting his snake leave his side.

Reflecting upon the times that he had spent with Lily Evans as a child, Severus thought: _It's almost a pity that the boy has to die. Even though he is the son of James Potter, which in itself is an inexcusable sin, I must admit that fate has not been kind to the boy. Dumbledore, why did I let myself become so entangled in your web? I should have left once I figured out what you had planned but, as much as I hate the reminder of what I lost, I couldn't imagine a world without those emerald green eyes. Lily, you abandoned me for James. I, inadvertently, set the wheels in motion that would cause your death. Now I am the one who will bring death upon your son. Please forgive me._

While he was thinking, Severus Snape had made his way to the Great Hall where he would await the arrival of the students. He couldn't help but notice that the seats that should have been occupied by the Carrows were empty. _Amycus and Alecto, have your new positions as members of the Dark Lord's inner circle swelled your heads to such a degree that you feel above your appointed positions within these walls? Your absences are inexcusable; you were sent here to make an example out of those who would dissent against the Dark Lord. I shall be forced to make an example out of you if this insolence continues._

Minerva McGonagall and Filius Flitwick had assumed their customary positions near the castle's main entrance to welcome the new students. Unbeknownst to the self-styled headmaster, Severus Snape, the pair had another reason for stationing themselves at the entrance to the castle; they were to send the signal once all the children were inside letting Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and the rest of the Order of the Phoenix know that it was time to evoke the ancient magic that would protect Hogwarts during its darkest hour.

The pair had been in position for several minutes before the first of the Thestral-pulled carriages arrived. Seeing the faces of the young witches and wizards as they arrived at Hogwarts always brought joy to Minerva's heart, especially during the turbulent times when many parents didn't let their children return to school due to the fear of something happening to them. McGonagall and Flitwick greeted their pupils and encouraged the first-years as they made their way into the castle. After about twenty minutes the rush of students entering the castle had come to an end. When McGonagall saw Rebeus Hagrid walking toward Hogwarts she knew that all the students had safely made their way into the castle.

While Minerva waited for Hagrid to make his way into the castle she caught herself marveling at the ingenuity of four of her former pupils. The work of Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, the Marauder's Map, had allowed the Order members to secretly make their ways to strategic positions within Hogwarts. From their positions each person was waiting for the blue stream of magic shooting toward the sky that would indicate that Minerva McGonagall and Filius Flitwick had assured that all the students had entered the castle and that it was now time to begin casting the protective spells.

As soon as Hagrid had crossed the threshold, Minerva lifted her arm to the sky above Hogwarts and shouted, "Protego Totalum!" Alone, her light stood out as a beacon. However, many other similar shafts of light soon joined the one that had originated from Minerva's wand. Together the combined power of the spells was such that it completely incased Hogwarts in a midnight blue dome of protection.

Lord Voldemort felt vindicated. Those who sought to defy him had raised barriers to keep themselves safe from his wrath. The barriers were a direct challenge to him. They would raise barriers against him; he would tear those barriers away. They, who would see him kept out, had just invited him in. Surely they would not have raised the walls if they did not mean for him to test them and ultimately tear them down. His army had assembled, his power was undeniable, and he would not be denied.

"Come, my loyal followers, the time is now. We will march on Hogwarts and I shall claim my kingdom!" exclaimed the Dark Lord Voldemort. Without further ado, he began the march through the Forbidden Forest that would take him and his army to the boundaries of the castle's defensive magic. Once they arrived, Voldemort turned to address his followers once more. "I shall now prove my power beyond any doubts. Those who seek to defy me have cast spells to keep me out. Witness that no one has the power to keep me out once I have decided to enter."

Lord Voldemort then raised his wand and focused all of his rage before beginning his onslaught against the castle's defenses.

While Voldemort and his army were marching toward the castle, the new students heard the dire warning in the song of the Sorting Hat before they were sorted into their new Houses. Inside of Hogwarts, the students were quite surprised when they heard the sound of an explosion reverberate through the halls of the castle. In their panic induced state many of the newer students had broken ranks and were running around screaming. Severus Snape called for order; his voice, which had been augmented by the Sonorus charm, failed to quell the dissent. So he cast an Expulso charm at one of the tables causing it to explode with a tremendous bang. The students stopped moving when they heard the sound.

"That's better. It appears that the castle is under attack. All of you are to go to your House common rooms, at once. The consequences if you do not follow this instruction will be dire." Upon finishing this statement the former Potions professor strode out of the Great Hall with his cloak billowing behind him.

The announcement had the intended effect on the majority of the people in the Great Hall and the majority of the students began to make their way to their respective houses. However, while on their way to Gryffindor tower a certain group of students veered off of their path. Instead of going to their common room they sought another room. Shortly they were joined by several Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs in front of the Room of Requirement. To those who were assembled, it was a surprise that Neville Longbottom was the first to speak.

"Hogwarts is under attack. Whoever it was, that called us, must have known that something like this would happen. We once stood behind the name Dumbledore's Army, he is gone but we still need to do our part to protect Hogwarts; we're Hogwarts Army!"

While Neville was addressing the host of students that had banded together to face the ominous threat the door to the Room of Requirement had been opened by Luna Lovegood. She had a feeling that the speech would be good if it had prompted Neville to break out of his shy persona to speak publicly and she was not disappointed.

"Too true, Neville," Luna beamed as she announced her presence. "Come in, everyone. There is a lot that you are going to have to be caught up on."

"Luna, that is a lot to take in," Cho Chang said to her fellow Ravenclaw once the younger girl had filled the group in on the events that had brought them all together. "If there is going to be a battle then I will fight."

"We want to fight too," agreed Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott while Earnie McMillan nodded while crossing his arms across his chest in resolution.

"If You-Know-Who is attacking the castle then we don't have much time. We need to do something," stated Colin Creevey while adopting what he considered a bold face.

The door to the Room of Requirement opened and the conversation came to an abrupt halt. When the group saw that it was Harry that opened the door they rushed to greet him. Cho was the first to lock him in an embrace. The young witch ran to the door to embrace the wizard who had once competed against her as the Gryffindor seeker. She had spent much more time contemplating his safety over the break than she cared to admit. Therefore she was very enthusiastic in her greeting and squeezed Harry much more tightly and much longer than entirely appropriate considering how things had ended when they had attempted to act on their feelings during their fifth year.

"Er, hi Cho," said Harry who was very surprised by the enthusiasm that the shapely Ravenclaw was showing him. He couldn't help but notice how her body had filled out since the last hug the two had shared in the Room of Requirement. The pretty girl that had occupied his day dreams during his fifth year had been replaced by a very beautiful young witch, who was starting to elicit a reaction that Harry did not want to have to explain. So instead, he broke away from her grip and moved into the group so that he could greet the other witches and wizards who had heeded the call.

Cho was extremely disoriented. After losing Cedric she had become a much more emotionally reserved individual. She knew how much emotions could hurt and did her best to make sure that she was removed enough that she would not be hurt again. How was it that a simple hug could evoke so many emotions that she was trying to suppress? Cho was working through her thoughts when she got the feeling that someone was looking at her. Putting her thought processes on hold for a minute, she glanced up and met the disapproving gaze of Hermione Granger.

Hermione started to make her way over to the exotic Ravenclaw but was distracted by the fireplace igniting with the green flames that indicated that the group was going to be joined by more allies.

"Oi, my dear brother it would appear that we almost missed the party," said one of the new arrivals to the other.

"I believe the term fashionably late is the one that best describes us now," Fred Weasley responded to his brother George Weasley.

"Right you are, but someone had to make sure that these rookies wouldn't be marching into battle unprepared," countered George.

"Too true, dear brother," bantered Fred as he took a trunk from his pocket and magically expanded it. "Ladies and gentlemen, step right up and get your very own protective cloaks and gloves right here."

"Only the finest Wheezes for those who would step up to protect Hogwarts in the hour of need," added George as he started to distribute the protective attire to those who had gathered in the Room of Requirement.

It had been a very long time since Voldemort had been denied from anything that he sought. He had power that most witches and wizards could not fathom. He had strove to make sure that his knowledge of magic was without equal. Thus, when he saw the midnight blue shield that those inside Hogwarts had erected in order to stop him he realized that it implied that even he would hard pressed to overcome the magic. With a mighty shout, he reached into his deep magical reserves and increased the power of the curse that he was using to overcome the magical barrier.

He began to feel the protection slip and used his free hand to press the mark on his forearm to signal to his followers that it was time for them to join their powers with his to overcome the defensive barrier. Not long after, Voldemort's lone beam was joined by many others. The dome had been steadily lightening in color under the power of Voldemort's spell; the additional strength of the wizards under his command was too much for the protective spell to negate. With a resounding crack the spell was broken and the dome dissipated in a shower of sparks.

"Now, my Death Eaters, we have bested what protection those who seek to defy me have provided. Now we move into the castle and I claim my throne!" When he finished speaking Voldemort resumed his march to the castle, for all intents and purposes, resembling an unstoppable force.


	17. The Calm Before the Storm

**AN: I had so much fun writing chapter 15 I wanted to attempt to revisit the style. I hope you like this chapter, I'm about half way through with the next one and so far it is pretty epic. I'll give you a hint; the title will be the Imperial March. (Borrowed from one of the most memorable Star Wars themes of all time, thanks) Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter.  
**

**Chapter 17**

The mood in the Room of Requirement had become very tense. People who were at different points in their lives had each remembered their part in resisting the tyranny of Dolores Umbridge during the year following the Twiwizard Tournament and held onto their enchanted Galleon and looked to it for strength. For some it was a reminder that they were not alone. For others it was a promise to help those in need. For a few it was one of the rare symbols of resistance and something that could be used to generate strength even when the future looked bleak. Whatever the reason for holding onto the coin, all of these people had heeded the call and took it upon themselves to see what they could do to assist in the imminent battle.

Neville Longbottom had made his way over to Harry Potter and had pledged to do anything necessary to help win the upcoming battle. In the time that had passed since he last saw Harry and Hermione he had spent every spare moment in his familial dueling chamber in order to become a force in battle. He had spent hours honing his abilities and refining what Harry had taught him during his fifth year. There was even several occasions before her illness had progressed when he had convinced his gran to train with him. Although the aging witch was years passed her prime she was still a wily and dangerous opponent.

Augusta Longbottem was never one to make half-hearted attempts at anything; during their first training session together she had quite literally wiped the floor with him before having him give her a play by play break down detailing what she did, why it worked, and what he would do to prevent her from being able to do it again in the future. Then she would tell him where she perceived weakness and what she thought he should work on to improve. It was a grueling process, but the longer they trained the better Neville got at dueling. He had finally reached a point where he thought he would be able to overcome the fierce witch when she succumbed to the illness that she had been fighting.

Keeping in mind all that his grandmother had drilled into his head Neville looked at the group that had assembled in the Room of Requirement with a very determined face. Neville saw various looks on the faces of the other people in the room but there were two expressions that were more common than the others: expressions of nervousness from those who had never engaged in battle before and determination from those who had.

Cho Chang was one of the people with a determined look on her face. Her family was being persecuted, as a side-effect of the return of that homicidal maniac known as Lord Voldemort. She had been one of the first people who were forced to bear the burden of his return. Looking back Cho realizes that her "feelings" toward Cedric had been romanticized because of survivor's guilt. She knew that their relationship had had its issues but it is hard to say that a relationship won't have a future when it is never given a chance. Voldemort had took that chance from her; she would do everything in her power to prevent him from taking that from anyone else, especially Harry.

The emotions that had arisen when Cho had hugged Harry had been silenced as the girl prepared herself mentally for what she assumed would be a struggle for life and death. She chanced a look in his direction wondering what he was thinking. As a child her mom had read her stories of the 'great' Harry Potter; as a fifth year she learned that the real Harry could be just as great as his fictionalized character was presented to be. She watched him become the leader and teacher that they needed in a time when they had no one else to turn to. Without asking anything in exchange, he taught them how to defend themselves against the forces of darkness. Now she would use what she had learned to protect him and those that stood with them while resisting the Dark Lord. As she was thinking this thought Cho saw Luna wander into view and felt guilty that she had never spoken on the younger girl's behalf when her things would be hidden throughout Ravenclaw Tower.

Luna Lovegood had slipped into behind her 'Loony' persona when people began arriving at the Room of Requirement. She had done her best to keep herself from relapsing and drawing into herself while on the journey with Harry and Hermione but now, in Hogwarts with the threat of a battle with the most powerful dark wizard of all time looming, she was scared. She had been kidnapped from her house and informed that her dad was seriously wounded while fighting Death Eaters and she had not heard from him since.

Luna thought back to the battle at the Ministry of Magic where she had fought alongside Harry and his friends against the Death Eaters; she knew how powerful they were. Before her kidnapping Luna had done something that she had been putting off for years. Luna went into her late mother's laboratory and delved into her research. If Luna hadn't already decided that she was going to be an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries then the information that she had found in her mother's journals would have convinced her. She found spells, some practical, others whimsical, but the most interesting discovery was her mom's work on spell theory. She had compiled volumes detailing how the intentions and convictions of a spell's caster can have dramatic effects on the dynamics of the spell.

Luna looked toward Hermione and wondered if she would someday work up the nerve to tell her friend what she had learned. Luna had long since come to respect the brown-haired Gryffindor girl. Luna had several reasons for respecting Hermione. First, she had heard, as a first-year, comments from her house mates about a Gryffindor girl who was consistently besting their classroom scores. Then she had met the girl and was exposed to her kindness first hand as she used her powers as a Prefect to stop others from bullying the blonde Ravenclaw girl. Third, Hermione had been one of the main initiators of the D.A. and had helped Luna more than once to perfect new spells. Finally, Hermione was important to Harry and Luna held Harry in the absolute highest esteem.

On the other side of the room, Hermione stood with Harry. For the briefest moment when Cho had hugged Harry a green-eyed monster had swelled inside her chest. She knew that the pair had a history and didn't approve of the way the Ravenclaw had rubbed herself against Harry like a cat against a pole. However, Hermione had checked herself with logic and rationalized that Harry would never willingly do anything to hurt her no matter what the temptation. Hermione had to admit that she could understand how Cho could be a temptation. The Ravenclaw was a model of physical perfection; her womanly curves made her Hogwarts robes cling to her body in a way that most witches would die for, years of Quidditch practice had toned her body leaving a perfectly flat stomach and extremely tight core muscles, her smile lit up the room and her deep brown eyes were like pools of chocolate.

_Did I just compare Cho's eyes to pools of chocolate?_ _I must be getting more anxious about the battle than I thought. _Hermione thought to herself as she turned her gaze to Harry. _I will stand by your side to the end, Harry Potter. Don't you think about trying to run off and do anything stupid or I will kill you myself! _

* * *

Meanwhile near the fireplace, the Hufflepuff trio was in the middle of a strategy session. Ernie McMillan had always had the most spell power of the three but both girls were more accurate spell casters with larger spell repertories. Because of this they decided that the girls would flank Ernie and that he would act as the artillery allowing the girls to be snipers. Each of the three Hufflepuffs received a protective cloak and protective gloves from the Weasley twins. They were absolutely astounded that the two Gryffindor pranksters had been able to create something so impressive. Although they would not be able to protect the wearer from some of the darker curses that Death Eaters were inclined to use, they would do a good job of reducing the casualties from cross fire.

Not far away, the Weasley family had reunited. By this time the Weasley parents had made their way into the castle and had been relieved to find all of their children alive and ready to do their part to defend the magical world from the tyrant Voldemort. The clock that gave the status of each member of the Weasley family had specified that every Weasley had been in Mortal Peril since Harry, Ron, and Hermione's first unsanctioned adventure int eh Ministry of Magic over two years in the past. Molly Weasley's heart would break if anything was to happen to her family but she knew that they had the right to help shape their future. The Weasleys were for the light and would stand by that side without question.

Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and Angelina Johnson, Gryffindor tower's flying vixens, had arrived via Floo right when the crack caused by the protective dome being penetrated had shook the castle. Consequently, their arrival went unnoticed for several minutes until they made their way over to the Weasley clan in a show a support and solidarity. There Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson attatched themselves to Fred and George respectively, leaving Katie Bell as a fifth wheel. Never one to linger in an awkward moment, Katie made her way over to her former team mate and was determined to let him know the effect that the young seeker had upon her life.

"Harry, we're going to win this war," Katie declared to Harry's surprise. "When we were teammates we could always count on our star seeker to save the day regardless of how the rest of the game was doing. Now our seeker has moved onto bigger things but the result will be the same. He can't beat you, Harry. You bring out the best in people; you make them want to be better than they are. You helped me become the chaser I am today and you didn't even realize that you were doing it and you helped everyone in the D.A. get prepared for today by teaching them how to defend themselves. Get out there and be a hero, we are all behind you."

Katie surprised Harry by giving him a kiss on the cheek followed by a sultry smile and an incredibly flirtatious wink. "When this is all over you will have to join me, Alicia, and Angelina at the Hog's Head for drinks. I'm sure that we will need them. Plus, it will give us the opportunity to make up for lost time." Katie adds over her shoulder as she walks away purposefully swaying her hips.

From another part of the room the Patil twins, Lavender Brown, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were amused to see how flustered Katie was able to get Harry. The group was engaging in playful banter in order to distract themselves from the imminent danger of the situation. They were very nervous now that they were faced with actual combat. In the train, on the way to Hogwarts, when Ginny Weasley had proposed helping defend the castle the answer seemed like a no-brainer. However, now with the Dark Lord bearing down upon them and their mortality more evident than ever before the group was having second thoughts. They would not abandon the cause and leave their fate in the hands of others; they would face their fears and they would fight.


	18. The Imperial March

**Chapter 18**

Severus Snape had always sought order; that is one of the reasons that he excelled as a potions master. He could understand an object's properties and determine the best way to apply them in combination with other objects in order to assure a final product of the highest caliber. This day was not going according to Snape's plan. The disappearance of the Carrows had put the former head of Slytherin house into a precarious position. By killing Albus Dumbledore, Snape had made an unequivocal declaration of his support for the Dark Lord Voldemort. However, the disappearance of the Carrows right before the final battle reeked of duplicity and Snape knew that the Dark Lord would not suffer traitors.

Did Severus imagine that there would be any time for those who openly stood against the Dark Lord to raise the alarm and mount a resistance within the walls of Hogwarts? No, he assumed that the Dark Lord's march would be uncontested. In all of his planning, Dumbledore had never emphasized the importance of holding Hogwarts against the dark Lord. In fact Dumbledore had on multiple occasions specified that the children must be kept safe even if that meant the resistance abandoning Hogwarts castle. Dumbledore had truly believed that the lessons that he was giving Harry would be what the magical world needed in order to rid the world of the Dark Lord Voldemort forever. Severus had argued endlessly against this but Albus was resolute.

Before the start of the year, Severus had witnessed an insanity growing within the Dark Lord. When Severus had joined the Death Eater cause there was always a hint of wildness and savagery present in the eyes of the Dark Lord. That spark had ignited flames under the Death Eater movement; it was not hard to see that any man who possessed those eyes would be destined for greatness. However a master Legilimency such as Severus Snape prided himself on his ability to read other people and he knew that the look that Voldemort indicated that the once cold and calculating man had been reduced to a feral dog. Was he still incredibly powerful? Yes, but did he have the mental presence to make tactical decisions without over committing? That remained to be seen. Severus knew that the Dark Lord was dangerous, but he would find out exactly how powerful the Dark Lord was during the upcoming battle.

Voldemort and his army had advanced upon the castle, passing the Quidditch Pitch and the Black Lake as they steadily got closer to their ultimate destination. When the group passed the site of Dumbledore's memorial Voldemoret unleashed a blasting spell that did two things. First the spell broke the lid that protected the former headmaster of Hogwarts desecration from the passing of time. Second, it provided the distraction that allowed Voldemort to summon the once powerful wizard's wand, unbeknownst to his loyal Death Eater army.

In a few minutes Voldemort and his army had reached the path that would lead them to the castle's front door. From their position on the bottom of the path Voldemort saw something that incensed his fury. Marching towards his army was a contingent of stone golems that Voldemort recalled from the walls of Hogwarts during the time he spent in the castle under the name Tom Riddle Jr. He would not allow his plans to be thwarted by a simple animation spell. Turning to the section of his army that consisted of giants and trolls, Voldemort ordered his brute force forward to meet the stone golems in combat.

The golems of Hogwarts stood over eight feet tall and were all armed with a sword, an axe, a spear, or a mace in addition to a shield. Every golem in the castle had been animated so there were close to 160 golems in the army that Minerva McGonagall had animated to protect the castle and the students. Voldemort's response force consisted of approximately 30 giants and 80 trolls that had been awed by the giants' power and ferocity. The giants stood on average 23 feet tall; the tallest was closer to 30. Making use of their incredibly long legs the giants quickly met the force of golems. Although the majority of giants were unarmed there were several armed with clubs and maces. Making use of their awesome strength the giants were able to bat the smaller golems aside as they cut a swath through the stone defenders.

Unfortunately giants aren't very smart. Although they were strong enough to bat the golems aside with ease they were not so strong that they could shatter one of the magically reinforced guardians with a single blow. So the golems that had been swatted aside during the initial rush had regrouped and closed in upon the giants who found themselves surrounded. The golems were able to take down just over half of the giants before they were flanked by the trolls. Fortunately the trolls and the golems were fairly evenly matched in terms of strength. However, under the combined might of the giants and the trolls, the golems were falling at a much more rapid rate. After five minutes there were only 60 golems left to take down five giants and 70 trolls. The golems were fighting valiantly but eventually they would be overwhelmed. By the time the last giant was slain there were only twenty golems left to attempt to overcome a force of trolls over twice their number. A short while later, the last golem was reduced to rubble survived by a group of fifteen blood-lusting trolls.

Voldemort was very pleased. He understood that a war would not be determined by an individual battle but at the same time he recognized that by winning as many individual battles as possible one could maneuver into the best position to win the war. The loss of the giants was regrettable but they had not been meant to survive the battle anyway. The fact that their deaths bought the passage of the main contingent of his army into Hogwarts was justification enough for their presence in his army. He knew how resistant the stone golems were to spell damage; if the wizards in his army were made to face the golems then the casualties would have been much higher and the battle result much different. With a sweep of the Elder wand the remains of the destroyed golems, vanquished giants, and dead trolls parted to reveal an unobstructed path leading to Hogwarts.

For the first time in many years Hogwarts would be the site of a war that could decide the fate of the magical world. When she had begun the process of raising the defenses around Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall had taken the first step to assure that the darkness would not snub out the light. After casting the protective dome she rallied the teachers and had everyone meet together in the room of requirement so that they could have one last strategy session before they each took their destiny into their own hands and fought for their future against the tyrant who sought to subjugate the magical Britain and the whole world. It warmed her heart to see the way that people came together at such a tumultuous time.

Minerva had seen for herself the army that Voldemort had assembled to march against the castle. Although many had heeded the call to fight in the upcoming battle it was undeniable that Voldemort's forces outnumbered those who sought to protect Hogwarts 2:1 and that was not counting the dark creatures that he convinced to fight on his side. The Death Eater army had destroyed the golems, it was time to act. Minerva had a plan; instead of meeting a numerically superior force head on in a fight that would inevitably result in a tremendous amount of casualties, a small contingent would meet the invaders in the courtyard and attempt to draw them into the castle where the hallways would negate their numerical superiority to an extent.

Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Molly and Arthur Weasley, Ron Weasley, Cho Chang, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter had elected to be part of the force designed to lure the Death Eaters into the school. Although none of them would say it aloud, the situation looked hopeless; thirteen witches and wizards standing alone against hundreds seemed suicidal. However, the group was banking on the fact that Voldemort's desire to be the one to kill Harry would impede his judgment enough for him to march his army into the traps that Fred and George Weasley were busily setting throughout the castle.

On the opposing side Voldemort had seen the measly force that had assembled in front of Hogwarts. He could address them from his army's current position but the effect would be much grander if he brought his army closer so that they could see just how futile superior his forces were. The group standing in front of Hogwarts was a mere fifty paces away when Lord Voldemort raised his hand to signal to his army that they were to stop marching. Once his army had come to a halt, Voldemort addressed the group that stood between him and Hogwarts.

"My fellow witches and wizards lay down your wands and embrace me as your leader. I have no desire to turn the ground red with precious magical blood. As you can see, you have no hope of defeating my forces. If you defy me then the most that you could hope to achieve is a quick death and I guarantee you that your death will be as prolonged and agonizing as possible. My army has already defeated the protectors that the Founders stationed at Hogwarts to protect the castle. The Founders couldn't stop me, what chance do you have? You have two options; give me Harry Potter and swear your allegiance or die."

"We will never join you, Riddle," shouted Harry. "I know what you did to survive that night and have made sure that magic would be unavailable to you today. You present yourself to be an all-powerful ruler when you and I know that you are only a shade of your former self. You may have been able to bully those sheep behind you into following you today but your bullying ends here. We will stop you!"

"You dare use that name? You will die by my hand; there is no one around to protect you anymore. The old fool died on my orders, your no-good god-father died because of visions that you were too weak to stop me from placing in your mind, your fellow champion fell as I was resurrected, and your parents never stood a chance. Your luck has run out. Tonight there will be nowhere for you to run. Tonight will be your last!" promised Voldemort as his eyes shone with a maniacal gleam.

"You have had plenty of opportunities to kill me Tom, you couldn't even kill me as a defenseless baby, what chance do you have now that I have had the opportunity to study magic," taunted Harry. "You want us? Come and get us!"

"Kill them all, but leave Potter for me," ordered Voldemort as he pointed to the group that dared to oppose him. His Death Eaters surged forward. In addition to the thunderous sound of a charging army there was a series of popping sounds. The fastest of the Death Eaters, the werewolves, thought nothing of it as their targets stood their ground. Unfortunately, for Fenrir Greyback and his fellow werewolves, the sounds had come from Firenze and the centaurs who had marched out of the forest into combat to stand with the Hogwarts army against the tyrannical Voldemort. The rain of arrows killed many werewolves, but those who survived regrouped with the trolls, under Voldemorts command, and advanced upon the centaur position.

Voldemort was nonplussed by this, he had not anticipated the centaurs becoming involved in a war between wizards. This oversight was not incredibly detrimental to his purposes. He hoped that those filthy creatures would kill each other off so that the world could go on as it was supposed to be, with wizards holding unquestionable dominion over all. Those creatures had been brought for intimidation and distraction. He and his followers still had numerical superiority and would not be denied. By the time Voldemort had succeeded in sending the werewolves and trolls against the centaurs he looked back to where those fools had stood against him and found the spot empty with the doors of Hogwarts open like a great maw, ready to swallow those who dared to violate the sanctity of the castle. Any sane person would have realized that it was an obvious trap; however Voldemort had stopped being sane a long time ago. Staying behind so that he could watch the progress of both contingents of his army Voldemort ordered his Death Eaters to storm the Halls and kill everyone that they came across, except for the boy. Harry Potter would be killed by him and him alone!

**AN: This chapter came to me as a flow of ideas and, because of that, it was really to write. I hope that it doesn't come off as too technical. The final battle is probably going to happen in chapter 20. The next one will deal more with the individual battles that the defenders of Hogwarts find themselves in against the Death Eaters. I hope that you liked the chapter. Please take a minute to write me a review and tell me what you thought about the chapter. Next chapter will include some characters dying; if there is anyone that you want to see more of let me know in a review and I will take it into account.**


	19. Castle Crashers

**Chapter 19**

The plan that the defenders of Hogwarts had come up with to defend the castle began with concentrating their power in the Great Hall where the symbolic seat of power was located. It was assumed that, in his quest to conquer the castle, Voldemort would dedicate the majority of his force to capturing the Great Hall while a comparatively small force would be tasked with eliminating the pockets of resistance in the other parts of the castle.

These pockets would consist of groups of five or six witches and wizards behind an assortment of the various Wizarding Wheezes that the Weasley twins had created for battle purposes. In the lower levels of the castle the professors stood with the members of the Order of the Phoenix against the impending Death Eater army. On the middle levels the members of the D.A. who had responded to Hermione's call were stationed. On the highest floors of the castle were the students who elected to fight against the tyranny of Voldemort.

Harry, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Cho, and Ron sprinted up the grand staircase that connected the entrance Hall to the upper floors of the castle. Banking right the group veered into their designated corridor where they would make their stand against the Death eaters who sought to gain access to the higher levels of the castle. Harry and McGonagall had argued about where Harry would be during the fight. Harry wanted to be in the Great Hall so that he could fight the battle that he brought to Hogwarts and prevent more people dying to keep him safe. McGonagall wanted to protect the young Gryffindor and hoped to convince him that the best place for him was in the higher levels of the castle. In the end Harry agreed to stay out of the Great Hall for the initial Death Eater rush on the condition that once he secured his corridor he could regroup with those making their stand in the Great Hall.

When the group reached a T-intersection in the corridor Harry, Hermione, and Cho took their position on the left while Ron, Neville, and Luna took cover behind the wall on the right. They had been able to make an escape when the centaurs fired their arrows into Voldemort's army but they knew that it wouldn't be long until the familiar hall was inundated with Death Eaters seeking to gain favor from their lord. Before the group saw anything, they heard the sound of footsteps echoing through the corridor then they heard shouts that told them that the Death Eaters were upon them. There were only seconds left until the final battle would begin for Harry Potter and his companions.

* * *

On the ground floor Minerva McGonagall had just finished an incredibly complex feat of Transfiguration when the Death Eaters began swarming into the castle. All of the benches and tables that normally gave the students a place to eat turned into giant slabs of marble which were then enlarged and charmed, by Filius Flitwick, to rotate and shift in position to create a giant maze that the Death Eaters would be forced to navigate through if they wished to accomplish to engage in battle against Hogwarts' defenders and take the room. The final stone slid into place right as the leading Death Eater opened the door to the Great Hall of his alma mater.

Although the prospect of going into a maze without doing any kind of reconnaissance was daunting, the thought of facing his master's wrath was much more intimidating. So with a shout the Death Eater entered the maze quickly followed by a group of around twenty Death Eaters that had been closest to the castle before the Centaurs had fired. He knew that this was his opportunity to prove his worth to his master and intended to make the most out of it. Charging through the maze, after several minutes of traveling the Death Eater was beginning to feel anxious since he still hadn't come across any of those delusional enough to stand against his master.

Still leading his fellow Death Eaters the man finally came to a long straight away that led to the teacher's pavilion, where a group of the teacher s had decided to make their stand. The brash wizard announced his presence by yelling and casting spells as quickly as he could at the group standing on the platform. He was incited to channel more rage into his dark spells as the Hogwarts staff showed their mettle by deflecting all that he and his comrades could throw at them. The Death Eater was extremely close to the end of the tunnel when he saw the short one, who he knew to be Filius Flitwick, drop his guard and move his wand in a strange manner.

That one second was all the Death Eater needed as he channeled his hatred of 'half-blood scum' and fired the Avada Kadavra curse and struck the small wizard in the chest. Before his soul left his body the diminutive wizard managed to complete the spell that he had been casting; the walls of the corridor that the Death Eaters had been running through slammed together and crushed all of the Death Eaters who had been foolish enough to walk into the Master Charmer's trap.

Minerva McGonagall was stricken by the death of her colleague. She had always respected his abilities since the first day she had walked into his charms class. That was a time before she had hit her growth spurt and was considered short for her age. The two had bonded and, when Minerva had graduated and was looking for a job, it was the word of Filius Flitwick that had made the difference in getting her appointment as the new Transfiguration professor. Silently paying her respects, Minerva reset the stone thus reopening the passage to the table where the professors were standing. There would be more Death Eaters who sought to finish what the young Death Eater, who had killed Flitwick, had started; she would be ready for them.

* * *

In the Headmaster's office, Severus Snape considered what his next move would be. From his position he was able to look down upon the battles that had raged on the grounds of Hogwarts. He saw the statues of Hogwarts defeated by a numerically superior group of giants and trolls. He saw the damage that the centaurs had been able to inflict with their arrows and their subsequent battle. Although they won their heard was decimated. By the time that the last of the trolls and werewolves had fallen dead upon the ground there were so few centaurs remaining that it was very possible that the herd would die out and become little more than a legend told to first-years of something that they would never witness.

Severus had witnessed Voldemort send his forces into the castle and knew that it was only a matter of time before Voldemort confronted his turn-coat follower. Severus' death had been assured; by failing to quell the resistance movement in Hogwarts he had disappointed the Dark Lord and such disappointment could only result in one thing. Severus Snape had not been a Gryffindor but that was not due to lack of bravery. The one-time potions master had determined that he would make his way to face his fate. He would face Voldemort at a time of his own choosing; he would not be killed while cowering in his office! Utterly devoted to his decision, Severus cast a spell that sealed his last will and testament before leaving his office to confront the Dark Lord.

* * *

Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and Angelina Johnson had been stationed with Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot and Ernie McMillan on the third floor the Gryffindors had hunkered down near the corridor that led to the chamber Albus Dumbledore had chosen to protect the Sorcerer's Stone while the Hufflepuffs had made camp near the Hospital Wing. From their perspective they had effectively been removed from the battle. The only thing that even resembled a person on that floor outside of its guardians and Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital wing was a statue of a one-eyed witch that both groups agreed was very creepy.

The two groups heard a rumble of combat from the floors below, but it was still far off in the distance. In order to break the tension Earnie was telling jokes and attempting to lighten the atmosphere.

"You know, if someone had told me a week ago that I would be all alone in a hall with five women who were all hot and bothered I would say that they were crazy. Yet, here we are. So what say you, lovely ladies? Who wants to take a ride on the McMillan express? You know how dedicated we Hufflepuff men are to those who are important to us. I will be _extremely_ loyal to the cause, if you know what I mean," Ernie said while raising and lowering his eyebrows and the girls in the corridor.

"Get real, Ernie. We already know your routine," deadpanned Susan. "Next you will try to claim that you're the honey badger but we won't care."

"Susan, my dear, you seemed to be confused. You don't care currently, but when this badger finds the honey you will definitely care," replied Ernie with a mock bow.

The Gryffindor girls heard Ernie's claims and couldn't help but laugh. If nothing else, the Hufflepuff had spunk. Would it be enough to earn him a place in any of their beds? No, but they had to commend him for his effort. While Ernie had captured the girl's attention the group failed to notice the hump of the one-eyed witch sliding open to reveal the secret passage that led to Hogsmeade.

The Death Eater who was leading this assault had heard the exchange between the students in the hall and did not want to spoil his mission by having his presence detected. Thus, instead of firing a spell at one of the students who had been stationed to protect the area, the Death Eater elected to throw a handful of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder into the hallway in order to mask his movements in darkness. Casting the Muffliato spell filled the students' ears with buzzing as the Death Eater and his strike force entered the castle through the secret passage way that their master told them about.

On opposite ends of the corridor, Ernie and Katie reacted the same way when the corridor was flooded in darkness. They grabbed their friends' hands and pulled them around the nearest walls while casting shield charms behind them. Katie had spent enough time with Fred and George to recognize their Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. After the twins had heard how Draco Malfoy used their Darkness Powder on the night that Dumbledore was killed the two had made sure to tell their allies how to dispel the powder.

The powder had been invented by the twins on whim when they had lived in the Burrow and had sought to create a magical compound that would allow them to work on their experiments undetected. After the first trial filled shrouded their room in darkness they realized that the powder was not practical for their purpose. The magical properties of the compound actively sought to quell any light that was being emitted in the affected area. Therefore, in order to remove the powder, one had to cast a spell that created a light source that could not be overcome by darkness: the Patronus charm.

Katie thought of the day that she received the notification that she would be able to continue playing Quidditch after she graduated from Hogwarts and conjured her Patronus. The eagle-shaped Patronus flew through the corridor acting like a vacuum and drawing in all of the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and exposing the Death Eaters who had climbed out of the secret passage way. Since the Death Eaters lacked cover it was easy to determine that the invading force consisted of eight people.

Understanding the advantage that they acquired by removing the cover of the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs leveled their wands at the Death Eaters and began launching spells. Only one Death Eater fell in the cross-fire; the others split up and advanced upon their assailants. Four went in the direction of the Gryffindor girls because one of the witches on that side of the room had been powerful enough to fire a corporeal Patronus. The remaining three Death Eaters managed to put the Hufflepuff trio on the defensive as they made their way towards the wall that the group was sheltering behind.

Katie, Angelina, and Alicia had been friends since before they first walked the halls of Hogwarts. They had been teammates for almost as long as they had been friends. A quick series of glances was all that it took for the three of them to communicate the manner that they would deal with their assailants. Katie was the most magically powerful and would be tasked with stalling two of the Death Eaters for long enough for one of the other two girls to defeat their opponent then come in to even the odds.

Knowing the plan, the vixens sprang into action. Alicia rolled out beyond the wall to begin firing on the farthest Death Eater while Katie flung herself diagonal from the wall to give Alicia room to step around the corridor and engage the closest Death Eater. As Katie fell backward she sent two over-powered Reductos at the middle Death Eaters. The group must not have expected such an elaborate counter attack because the speed and coherency of the girls managed to break their formation and put them on the defensive. Their combat experience helped them to adapt to the changing battle conditions however the Death Eaters had met their match in the young group of Gryffindors.

Alicia was the most agile and graceful of the three and as such her dueling style would appear to be a deadly dance. She whirled, twirled, and leapt out of the way of incoming spells while using her constantly changing position to seek out the weak spots in her opponent's guard. Neither she nor either of the other girls felt that they were ready to use the killing curse but she had learned many spells during her time at Hogwarts that enabled a very potent offense. As she exchanged spells with her opponent it became apparent that the Death Eater was not as agile as Alicia, instead of dodging her spells the Death Eater relied on shield charms to defend himself from her spells. Filing this information away, Alicia came up with a plan; she would launch a trio of spells at different levels that would require one area to be left open if the other two were blocked. Alicia had just come out of a spin as that plan came together in her head.

She was able to use her momentum to momentarily run along the wall toward her opponent while firing three spells. She cast a stunner at her opponent's head, Petrificus Totalus at his midsection, and followed by casting Rictusempra at his feet. Due to his opponent closing in on him, the Death Eater was overwhelmed in the manner that Alicia had planned and fell over clutching his feet in laughter. When he was on the ground it was a simple matter to hit him with a stunner before she turned her attention to the Death Eater closest to her, who, along with his comrade, had Katie Bell on the ropes.

While Alicia was gracefully avoiding the spells of her assailant and Katie was being pushed back by the pair of Death Eaters that she was faced with, Angelina Johnson was having a hard time making any progress in her duel against her selected Death Eater. It appeared that the Death Eater was a woman from her figure and she was able to match Angelina's nimbleness which made the duel that much more exhausting for Angelina. The two traded volleys of spells in a cascade of light that exuded a terrible beauty. Angelina may not have been prepared to use the killing curse but her opponent was more than willing.

Jets of red and green light passed in midair occasionally hitting one another and erupting in an explosion of golden spots. After a few minutes the hall had reduced the hall to a battlefield strewn with debris. The Death Eater realized that her opponent was her match in agility but did not have the battle experience that was necessary to win a battle of this level. The Death Eater continued exchanging spells as if nothing had changed for several minutes, making sure that all of her near misses caused immense destruction to the castle around her opponent. Then, changing tactics, the witch targeted the floor around Angelina instead of Angelina, herself. The spell caused the debris to turn to ice causing Angelina to slip. The fall was almost enough to make Angelina lose consciousness however, since she was a chaser she was used to violent impacts and managed to retain consciousness as she saw a green spell impact upon her chest.

The witch who had been battling Angelina joined her colleagues in their assault against the other two girls who stood against them. Seeing the other Death Eater join her comrades in the battle versus Alicia and Katie was enough to prompt Katie to glance over to check on her long-time friend. The empty look in Angelina's eyes broke Katie's heart. These Death Eaters would pay; there is no way that Katie would fail Alicia in the way that she failed Angelina.

Katie reached deep into her magical core as she banished the debris that covered the ground and sent it flying at a very high speed toward the legs of her opponents. The Death Eaters had not been expecting an assault of that magnitude from such a petite girl. Before they could raise a shield their legs were shredded by the debris that Katie had sent flying through the air. Not wanting to give them any opportunity to rally, Katie used a summoning charm to call the Death Eaters' wands to her. She looked to Alicia and the two silently agreed that they would honor their friend by avenging her and not letting others fall to the same evil that claimed her life. Katie grabbed Alicia's hand and gave it a squeeze before letting out a sigh and pulling her friend in the direction of the Hufflepuffs who were battling the other Death Eaters.

From the adjacent hallway where the Hufflepuffs had taken shelter against the initial Death Eater assault Ernie, Susan, and Hannah were being pushed harder than they ever had before to not let themselves be overcome by the advancing DeathEaters. When a wave of debris crashed into the wall in the corridor behind them one of the Death Eaters was distracted enough that Susan was able to hit him with a stunning spell, dropping him and giving the Hufflepuffs a better chance of surviving the encounter.

Although the group was still being pushed hard by the other two Death Eaters they were no longer being driven back. Ernie used the Expulso charm to open a gaping hole in the center of the floor in front of the Death Eaters that stopped their advance. From opposite sides of the gaping chasm the combatants fired spell after spell at one another. Neither group could find the weakness in the other's defense. The Hufflepuffs were becoming wary and discouraged by their lack of success when they saw their opponents crumple to the floor. In the places where the Death Eaters had stood were Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet.

"We lost Angelina," Katie declared with glistening eyes. "We won't let them kill anyone else. They are going to pay."

**AN: This chapter came to me in bits and pieces. I had contemplated splitting it but felt that the fight on the 3****rd**** floor should be concluded. Next chapter will deal with other battles going on in the castle. Everyone that I have mentioned so far in the castle will have a role in the way that the story ultimately plays out but some will have more immediate impacts than others. Please take some time to review. It makes me happy and more willing to write on the one day that I don't have to go to either of my jobs. (Saturday)**


	20. Strength of Character

**Chapter 20**

Hogwarts castle was under invasion. Throughout the castle there were dozens of individual battles raging. After finishing the network of traps on the upper floors designed to keep the dormitories safe, Fred and George Weasley had been stationed with Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin on the second floor. Minerva McGonagall wanted them there to act as a buffer between the less experienced and, to a lesser extent, to prevent any Death Eaters from entering the Chamber of Secrets.

The sounds of witches and wizards fighting for their lives echoed through the hall weighing down on the Weasley twins and their companions. McGonagall had ordered the twins to stay on the second floor in order to force the Death Eaters to fight a war of attrition against the Hogwarts defenders instead of merely overwhelming them in one place. Fred and George understood why the Transfiguration Professor had wanted them to stay on that floor, but the sounds coming from below them indicated that there was a huge Death Eater force attempting to make their way past Harry, Hermione, Ron and the group that had been stationed on the first floor.

Fred had started to pace in order to deal with the anxious feeling that was threatening to overcome him. The Weasley family was incredibly vested in this conflict; every Weasley capable of raising a wand had heeded the call to protect Hogwarts. Fred was not surprised when Ginny had joined the defenders in the Room of Requirement. This battle would decide the fate of the Weasley family and Fred would make sure that the Weasley-line survived.

"We have to go help them," Fred exclaimed. "I know what McGonagall said but we pledged to protect those in the castle. We should start with those in battle below us!"

"Minerva's reasoning for having us here is sound," replied Remus. "If we leave then the whole plan could unravel."

"This is a battle for the future; if we just stand around, while all of our friends are killed, then what kind of future will it be?" demands Fred. "It's not fair that people are fighting and dying while we stand around and do nothing."

"I have never been one for following the rules. We did our part to slow down the Death Eaters if they reach the higher levels of the castle. Now it is time for us to take a more direct role in the protection of the castle," agrees George.

"I know that there are no secret passages into or out of the castle on this floor. Harry told me that eventually my map found its way into your hands. With that being the case, it is time for this old Marauder's last ride," declares Remus.

"It looks like the decision has already been made but, for what it's worth, I think that we should have been helping them since the invasion started instead of staying holed up on the second floor," adds Tonks.

"All right, let's go show those Death Munchers what four more wands can do!" Fred yells over his shoulder as he sprints toward the staircase that will take them to the first floor. The others ran after him in order to make sure that they didn't get left behind.

* * *

On the first floor the situation was dire. Since they heard the Death Eaters rushing up the stairs Harry, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Cho, and Ron had been faced with a seemingly endless stream of opponents. Each defender was holding out very well against those who challenged them, but the group was beginning to show the signs of fatigue.

Harry had been alternating between the Reducto, Expulso, and Difindo spells and was the main reason that the group had not yet been overwhelmed. However, his spells were visibly smaller than when the combat had begun. He would never voice his concerns aloud but Harry was becoming worried; he didn't know how long he would be able to maintain his monumental effort. Harry bolstered himself by reminding himself how his actions were protecting his friends and those closest to him. Dipping into reserves of strength that he was unaware of, Harry redoubled his efforts and resumed his spell casting.

Hermione had the largest spell inventory off the group. This allowed her to get around the defenses that the Death Eaters raised to protect themselves from Harry's barrage. Of all the spells that she knew of none would do what she sought. She delved ever deeper into the occult magic that she had read about, casting spells that hadn't been seen for many ages as she stood against the attacking Death Eaters. As long as Harry stood by her side she would not allow herself to fail.

Luna was perpetually underestimated because of her petite frame and small stature. The Death Eaters were so focused on Harry and Hermione that many lost consciousness before they even realized that they were facing three adversaries instead of two. This allowed Luna to pick off any Death Eaters who managed to survive Harry and Hermione's combined assault. Combined with her uncanny ability to predict where the Death Eaters movements would take them made Luna a force to be reckoned with.

On the other side of the hallway Neville, Cho, and Ron faced off against the Death Eaters who sought to use the side stairway to gain access to the upper floors.

Neville had adopted an attack pattern very similar to Harry's; he was the group's firepower. His magical reserves were not quite as deep as Harry's but the Longbottom scion had effectively stalled the Death Eater advance. His determination to prove himself and redeem the Longbottom name had kept him going during the first waves of the battle. As the battle continued Neville found himself casting spell after spell not because he felt the need to prove himself but because he would not allow himself to be the weak link that allowed the Death Eaters to torture and kill his friends the way they had tortured and killed so many in the past. Reaching deeper than he ever had before, Neville found the strength to continue against the seemingly endless Death Eater army.

Cho had never been the strongest spell caster but she prided herself on her Transfiguration abilities. It was one of her deepest desires to become a Transfiguration professor in the future. She had seen how great professors could affect their students and, conversely, how poor professors could be detrimental to their students learning. She had witnessed the passion that teaching had ignited in Harry when he was leading the D.A. and she had known then that her calling was to become a teacher. In order to become a Hogwarts professor she would have to make sure that Hogwarts was still standing when the battle was over. Like Neville her reasoning had changed over the course of the battle; when she had fought the first Death Eater who challenged her she was fighting the prejudices and ideals that the Death Eaters advocated. Now she was fighting for the future.

Ron was fighting for redemption. He had left his friends when times were bleak; he would not fail them again. He had been hurt by their reception and the fact that they chose to have Luna stand by them in this battle instead of him but he did not argue. He understood why they had made that decision and now would do all he could to make sure that they were not overrun by the Death Eaters that would flank them, if they made it by Neville, Cho, and himself. Ron's academic career had been unimpressive to say the least. He had not applied himself in class and had always sought to do the minimum instead of striving for excellence. Accordingly, his spell inventory was comparatively underdeveloped. Instead of letting this short-coming hinder him Ron applied the spells he knew in innovative ways that made him very hard to defend against.

The six teenagers were fighting valiantly, but the Death Eaters kept coming and both groups found themselves losing ground as they were forced to abandon their offensive tactics in order to protect themselves and their companions. Eventually the groups found themselves standing shoulder to shoulder with their backs against the stairway. There would be no more retreating, the group would make their stand in this hallway where the corridor negated the Death Eater numbers.

Harry and Neville were in the center position. Together they routed the Death Eaters with powerful blasting Confringo spells. The resulting blast unleashed a concussive blast that knocked the first few rows of Death Eaters from their feet and severely disoriented the next couple of rows. This provided the other group members with an opportunity to take the offensive. Cho began Transfiguring the fallen Death Eaters into bags of sand to prevent them from awakening and resuming their attack. Hermione and Luna saw what she was doing and assisted her in Transfiguring the downed Death Eaters. Ron used the Leviosa charm to stack the newly formed bags of sand to create a wall that would protect the group from the next waves of Death Eaters. Harry and Neville were both panting as they took a moment to give each other a nod in acknowledgement while they caught their breath. The whole process took less than a minute; Neville and Harry had not quite caught their breath when the next group of Death Eaters arrived.

* * *

In the Great Hall Minerva McGonagall's Transfigured maze had been decimated. She had lost count of how many Death Eaters had passed through the doors to the Great Hall in an attempt to claim the Headmaster's seat as a throne for their master. Her heart shattered with every colleague that fell. Filius Flitwick was the first to fall. Rolanda Hooch was the second as she had ventured into the maze to intercept a wave of Death Eaters in the beginning of the battle. Aurora Sinestra had been the third to fall as her knowledge of Astronomy wasn't very well suited for battle. Of the teachers who had stood with Minerva in the Great Hall at the start of the battle only Pomona Sprout, Septima Vector, and Irma Pince remained. Minerva could not help wondering where Severus could be but she thought it better that she did not know, especially if he had elected to stand behind the Dark Lord Voldemort in his attempt to take the castle.

Minerva was brought back to the battle as she heard Kingsley Shacklebolt yell that another wave was coming. Minerva was deeply impressed by the wizard's abilities with a wand; she thought that they bordered on prodigious. The other Order members who had joined her in defending the hall had also been very impressive. Hestia Jones had come into her own as a witch since the time that the young raven-haired witch had left Hogwarts. Her charm work would have made Filius very proud; she had always been one of the small wizard's favorite students. Sturgis Podmore and Emmeline Vance had been invaluable and had banded together to create a formidable resistance before they were overwhelmed and fell victim to the killing curse. The members of the Weasley family in the room, Molly, Arthur, Bill, Fleur, and Charlie were holding the area nearest to the door forcing the Death Eaters who did not fall under their combined spell work onto the defensive as they entered the room. Charlie had been hit with a cutting curse and was in bad shape as Hogwarts defenders let out a collective sigh as they readied themselves for the next bout of combat.

**AN: I contemplated ending this chapter with the battle that is going to unfold in the Great Hall but realized that would make the chapter abnormally long. So instead it will be included in the next chapter as I try to close up this story arc. As always, review would be appreciated. I'd really like to hit 50 by the time that Harry and Voldemort have their final confrontation. Please take a minute and help me get there.**


	21. Interruptions, Good and Bad

**Chapter 21**

Voldemort sat on the sidelines as his army was sent to overwhelm the defenses of Hogwarts. In many ways he had accomplished his goal of becoming the most powerful wizard of his age. He had deep knowledge of magic, he had eliminated his rivals, and he had created an army that would not be denied. From his vantage point he saw the last of his army enter the castle. He knew that Hogwarts staff would prove themselves capable defenders but eventually numbers would win out. One did not earn a place in his army without demonstrating their power and skill. He would give the fools ten more minutes before he entered Hogwarts to quell the resistance and end the battle.

* * *

Fenrir Greyback had managed to escape the centaurs and had resumed his wizard form before rejoining his comrades. If the initial waves of the Death Eater to enter Hogwarts were the cannon fodder then the group the Greyback joined was the artillery. In front of the werewolf was the Dark Lord's inner circle: Avery, Crabbe, Goyle, Mulciber, Nott, Rosier, Selwynn, Travers, Wilkes, Jugson, Gibbon, Antonin Dolohov, Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange, Augustus Rookwood, and Walden Mcnair. Each of the men was a proven warrior who had been fighting for more years than most of the students at Hogwarts had been alive. They were responsible for making sure that those that the Dark Lord had sought dead were killed.

The group contemplated splitting up, but decided against it. Instead they directed the rank-and-file Death Eaters ahead of them to concentrating on sweeping the upper floors while they secured the Great Hall. Though none of the rank-and-file Death Eaters would admit it, they were glad that they would not be faced with the task of dealing with the professors. The majority of the Death Eaters who existed outside of the inner circle had been students at Hogwarts before joining the Death Eater cause. They had witnessed the professors perform very powerful magic and did not wish to be on the receiving end of such magic. So, with haste they moved away from the doors of the Great Hall and began marching up the staircases that would lead them to the upper levels of Hogwarts.

Once the inner circle had a clear path to the Great Hall they huddled together before blasting through the doors. One advantage that the Death Eaters possessed was the fact that Hogwarts' defenders had been fighting almost non-stop for almost an hour. After that much time even the strongest wizard would become exhausted; the professors would be on their last legs. All the Death Eaters would have to do to be victorious would be to wait for the eventual mistakes that their opponents would make and to capitalize when the opportunity presented itself.

The Lestrange brothers took the lead with the other members of the inner circle flanking them from either side. If the other Death Eaters were surprised by the Lestranges leading their group to a section of the wall thirty feet away from the doors to the Great Hall then they did not show it; they dutifully followed the brothers who had been selected by their master to lead the force. Rabastian and Rudolphus looked at each other and began counting down. When they got to three, they raised their wands and pointed them at the wall. The other Death Eaters realized what the pair intended and also aimed their wands at the wall. As the word one was said all sixteen Death Eaters cast blasting curses at the wall causing it to implode into the Great Hall.

* * *

Kingsley Shacklebolt was suspicious. He was sure that the mass of Death Eaters in the entrance hall had intended to swarm the Great Hall. Thus he had called out to the other defenders to make sure that they were on their guard. When no more Death Eaters swarmed into the Great Hall he began to feel that something was amiss. He kept his wand trained on the door so that he would be prepared when the next batch of opponents burst into the room. What he was not ready for was a section of wall, close to where the Weasley family was standing, to be blasted into the Great Hall. Although the blast was far enough from the Weasleys that Kingsley seriously doubted that any of them were seriously harmed Charlie was knocked off his feet from the concussive waves.

The combat that had occurred in the Great Hall earlier paled in comparison to the level of combat that the newest batch of Death Eaters fought on. The battle pitted sixteen Death Eaters against ten of Hogwarts' defenders, one of which still hadn't gotten to his feet. The Death Eaters paired off and attacked the defenders. Greyback was the only Death Eater who stood alone against his opponent, but that was the way he preferred it to be.

Molly and Arthur shared a look before they took a stand side-by-side to face the four Death Eaters who would kill them as soon as they got the chance. The night before Molly and Arthur had a very long discussion about the possibility of them dying during the battle. Although neither wished to leave their children without parents, they agreed that they would do what they needed to keep their children safe even at the expense of their own lives. The pair was exemplified Gryffindor bravery as they stood resolutely against their adversaries. Molly was the first to begin casting. She used the Azote Ardiendo spell to turn her wand into a fiery whip capable that could be used for offensive and defensive purposes as her defenders learned when she used it to send a volley of their own spells back at them.

Arthur saw his wife cast her favorite combat spell and was compelled to do the same. Howevere, his favorite combat spell was very different from his wife's. Instead of conjuring a whip to use against his opponents he called upon his magic to cast a spell that he had created himself after his years of studying Muggle technology. As his wife distracted their opponents with her whip Arthur cast ten Grenada Paralizante charms in the area where the Death Eaters were being held by his wife's fire whip. After taking a breath to regain his composure he shot a series of stunning charms at the Death Eaters to inform his wife that the trap had been laid.

Molly saw the stunners fly toward the Death Eaters that she had been distracting and knew that it was time for her to make a retreat. Still brandishing her whip to deflect the curses directed at her and her husband she steadily put distance between herself and the Death Eaters. After five seconds there was a great explosion as the magical grenades detonated and the Death Eaters were tossed into the air. Molly turned to embrace her husband and, to her horror, saw the jet of green light hit him from the side. Arthur Weasly died looking into the eyes of the woman that he loved most in the world while doing what he could to protect his family. Molly derived little pleasure from the fact that her husband had managed to take down Avery, Crabbe, Goyle, and Mulciber with one attack.

On the other side of the room Bill and Fleur were also faced by four of the Death Eaters: Nott, Rosier, Selwynn, and Travers. Bill was very dangerous in combat; his work as a curse-breaker had taught him how to respond to threats decisively. He would use his power to defend his wife, his family, and the students of Hogwarts. Fleur was equally determined to stand her ground against the Death Eaters. As a former Triwizard Champion she had proved her mettle in front of thousands of spectators; now it was time for her to prove herself once again. Fleur saw Arthur Weasley fall victim to the killing curse and was determined not to let Bill fall victim to the same fate.

The Death Eaters who stood against Bill and Fleur had been Death Eaters long before the group went public. They were much older than the pair that they had elected to face and expected a short battle on their way to Minerva McGonagall and the Hogwarts professors. Rosier and Travers were struck with Déjà vu as the couple before them bore a striking resemblance to the McKinnons who they had killed during Voldemort's first rise. This resemblance only strengthened their resolve because they remembered the conviction that was visible on the McKinnon's face before Rosier and Travers succeeded in breaking them.

Selwyn attacked first and sent a barrage of killing curses that forced the couple to separate while they dodged. The beautiful blonde witch shot a fire bolt from her palm that honed in on Selwyn and knocked him off of his feet, temporarily disabling him. His companions would not allow themselves that attack to catch them unaware in the future. Travers shot a spell at the witch that caused a massive fissure to appear in the ground where she had been standing. However the young witch moved with an unnatural grace, almost as if she was floating.

Bill faced the combined magic of Rosier and Nott. Rosier and Nott had very different strategies for taking down their opponents. Nott favored working from behind the scenes making the most out of his Slytherin cunning. Rosier preferred to metaphorically kick the door down and overpower his victims so that they knew that they were no match for his power. In this fight their fighting styles would complement each other because Rosier's attacks would allow Nott the opportunity he needed to catch the young curse-breaker off guard.

Bill elected to use one of the darker spells that he had come across in his career as a curse breaker in order to disable his opponents. Ironically, it was the same spell that Hermione had used against Amycus Carrow. Nott, wisely chose to dodge but Rosier wasn't so lucky. The screams of Rosier's agony captured the attention of every witch and wizard present in the Great Hall.

Unfortunately for Pomona Sprout and Irma Pince had been so distracted by the screams of the Death Eater that Bill had hit that they did not see the killing curses that their opponents had fired at them. The two women died freeing up Wilkes, Jugson, Gibbon, and Antonin Dolohov to assist theLestrange brothers, Augustus Rookwood, and Walden Mcnair against Minerva McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Molly Weasley had joined Bill and Fleur in their battle against Nott and Travers brandishing her fire whip with a vengeance. The trio managed to overpower the Death Eaters very quickly. Seeing how hard the Death Eaters were pushing McGonagall and Shacklebolt the Weasleys rushed to their aid, evening up the odds to an extent. The defenders were still out numbered but five against eight is a lot better odds than two against eight. The groups fought to a standstill; the Death Eaters were not able to gain any ground against those five defenders.

Septima Vector and Hestia Jones had been overlooked in the Death Eaters' initial assault. They rushed to aid their comrades and the stalemate was broken. The defenders of Hogwarts found the battle turn in their favor. They were successfully corralling the Death Eaters, with each volley the Death Eaters found themselves less and less able to launch an offensive counter-attack. The Death Eaters were on the brink of defeat when there was a howl of pain followed by a howl of satisfaction.

Fenrir Greyback had discovered that Charlie Weasley was not as dead as his immobile posture suggested. The second eldest Weasley had been given a concussion when the Death Eaters had blown their way into the room and had moved to one of the walls in an attempt to regain his bearings. Fenrir had used his heightened enses of smell to smell Charlie before attacking the disabled wizard. Charlie was unable to defend himself as Greyback had transformed into his werewolf form and proceeded to bite his victim. Usually Greyback would have stopped himself from killing his victim so that they would have to live with the curse of the werewolf. However, his earlier battle had left him at less than 100% and he needed to eat something magical in order to heal himself.

The death of Charlie Weasley spurred Molly into a frenzy. She poured her magic into her fire whip extending it to unheard of lengths. Wilkes and Jugson were slain by the Weasley matriarch. The sound of clapping drew the attention of all those in the room. Very slowly and deliberately, Voldemort walked into the Great Hall. "Congratulations, never did I think that my inner circle would face such a tenacious resistance when I sent them forward to end the resistance. You have fought valiantly, but you cannot change the outcome of this battle. Give up this futile resistance, so much blood has been spilled in the castle today. When would you have it stop? I do not wish to spill more blood than necessary but if you continue on this path I will make sure that your blood and the blood of any allies you may have in the castle dirties the floor before the day is over. I will not tolerate resistance of any kind, perhaps today I should clean Hogwarts of potential blood-traitors and mud-blood filth. Hogwarts shall be united under the banner of the snake, any who oppose the house of the snake will meet their end at my hand."

"Quite a stirring speech from the Dark Lord, perhaps he wishes to stop the fight because he knows that his forces have been devastated by what he misinterprets as a weak resistance from Hogwarts and her allies. I have waited for this day for a long time, you broke your promise to me and killed the one person that made my life worth living. Now you will face my wrath," declared Severus Snape as he strode through the doors that Voldemort had just opened with his cape billowing behind him as he prepared to face off against the Dark Lord.

**AN: Took him long enough to get there right? I'm trying to get to the end of this story arc but I find that every bit requires more explanation than I anticipate. I would very much like feedback on how I'm doing writing my action sequences. They have taken the driver's seat for the last few chapters and I want to make sure that I'm not boring my audience with them. Please take a minute to review and tell me what you think!**


	22. Behavior issues

**AN: This is a longer chapter because I couldn't bring myself to split it at the usual 2000 word mark. I hope you like it, there are certain parts that I was very happy to be able to include in this chapter. If I end up writing the sequel then there will undoubtedly be elements of this chapter which are explored in greater detail. I hope you enjoy reading and don't feel that there is too much action and not enough plot development. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 22**

Severus Snape had done something that no one since Albus Dumbledore had dared to do; he directly challenged Voldemort while putting himself in between the Dark Lord and his ambitions. Severus was a very capable wizard who had fought in many battles on both sides during Voldemort's first and second attempts to conquer the world. Now he had shown his former master where his loyalties truly lay and was prepared to deal with the potential consequences of his actions.

* * *

On the first floor Harry, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ron, and Cho had been joined by Fred and George Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks, and Remus Lupin. The ten defenders of Hogwarts were afforded enough time for a brief series of greetings before they were faced with a wave of Death Eaters that made the former battle seem trivial. The group spread out as much as possible but they were confined by the narrow hallway. The Death Eaters faced the same problem but were so numerous that the chance of them eventually breaking through the line of defenders was very high. Although the Dark Lord had claimed Harry the others who stood beside him were fair game.

The four fresh wands provided by Fred and George Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks, and Remus Lupin would be a deciding factor in the upcoming battle against the Death Eaters. Harry and Neville reluctantly let the Weasley twins take their place in the center of the line. They could not argue against the wisdom of taking a peripheral role in the upcoming battle in order to be prepared for whatever the group would find when they reunited with their comrades in the Great Hall.

When the Death Eaters turned the corner and began to swarm the hallway where the defenders of Hogwarts had taken refuge Fred and George began casting a series of spells at the ground; from where their spells hit swampy patches began to spread. In seconds the corridor's floor had been turned into a swamp. The first of the Death Eaters were slowed tremendously by the marsh and stalled the arrival of the rest of the army. This gave the Weasley twins time to complete the Transfiguration required to turn the marshy water into cement, locking the Death Eaters into place and causing their comrades to accidentally step on and kick them in their haste to advance upon their enemies.

Hogwarts' defenders were tactically retreating behind the sand barrage that Hermione, Luna, and Cho had created, which the twins had moved upon coming downstairs in order to derive the most protection. As expected, the sand bags took the brunt of the Death Eater assault and were looking much worse for wear after only a minute. From their position behind the bags everyone except Harry and Neville was rapidly casting spells into the body of the Death Eater army. Many Death Eaters fell and the defenders became optimistic as they saw the end of the enemy wave.

* * *

Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet had stoically bared the grief that they felt for the loss of Angelina Johnson. Ernie McMillan, Susan Bones, and Hannah Abbot stood by the pair and offered their condolences when they heard the terrible news. None of the Hufflepuffs could understand how it felt to lose a comrade who stood with you in combat and they realized that sometimes the best remedy was time. Unfortunately in a battle that had already brought death so close to home, time was a luxury that the group could not afford. After a few solemn minutes Ernie knew that the group needed to move on to help the others who were resisting Voldemort and his forces. He did not want to seem callous or uncaring but they had already been ambushed once in this corridor.

"I'm sorry to rush you girls, I can only imagine the kind of pain that you must be feeling right now but if we don't move then a lot more people will die at the hands of the Death Eaters."

"Ernie," warned Hannah and Susan at the same time.

"I'm sorry, but we have already found out that this corridor isn't safe. We need to move on," answered the concerned Hufflepuff.

"Susan, Hannah its ok. Ernie is right, we should be moving," declared Katie as she took another look at her fallen friend. "We should move downstairs and see what we can do to help. There is no way that that was the entire army."

As the group walked past the statue of the one-eyed witch Katie focused all of her rage and lifted her wand before slashing it through the air and yelling "Bombarda!"

The statue was demolished under the power of Katie's blasting spell. Although she could not bring back Angelina, destroying the passage that allowed the Death Eaters to enter the castle brought some satisfaction to the distraught girl. Unfortunately, Katie's action had come too late; a group had already come through the passage and, after seeing the devastated corridor made their way up the closest staircase assuming that once they arrived at the dormitories they would find their comrades fulfilling the Dark Lord's command to make an example out of those houses that would stand against him in resistance.

Alicia, Ernie, Hannah, Katie, and Susan made their way downstairs in a very somber march. They couldn't help but compare the state of the unblemished corridor they were traveling through to the corridors that they had just engaged the Death Eaters in. There would be massive clean-up and reconstruction efforts required to repair the damage that they had caused to the castle. They shuddered to think of the amount of damage that the other battles had caused to the magnificent castle. As they got closer to the stairway that led to the first floor they heard the unmistakable sound of battle and the unforgettable sound of the Weasley twins trying to annoy someone.

"Do mine eyes deceive me, my good sir Fredsalot, or do these peasants think that they can challenge our divine power," queried George as he cast another strengthening charm on the bags of sand in an attempt to buy the group more time.

"Sir Georgiahad, I do believe that they have vastly underestimated the power of our forces," quipped Fred as he maintained a steady stream of Ricktusempra curses that the Death Eaters were having a terrible time seeing since Ron had used his Put-Outer on the lights of the corridor.

"Indeed brother, mine. That mistake will surely be their undoing," exclaimed George as he took the offensive and cast the Estampido Sónico spell to send a blast of compressed air at the Death Eaters to knock them off of their feet. Ron had the blast that his brother cast and followed it with an overpowered Aguamente that overcame whatmeager resistances those suffering the effects of the Ricktusempra curse were able to raise. Hermione heard the splash of water and figured that in the worst case scenario she would be able to give the Death Eaters treacherous footing by turning the floor to ice as she cast a freezing charm. Luna and Cho took it upon themselves to protect the group by casting shield charms immediately after their comrades' spell light revealed their position in the darkened corridor.

For a moment things were quiet. Then the group heard rushing behind them and quickly turned around to confront the new threat. Ron, not thinking of what the consequences would be, returned all of the lights to their original positions causing all of those whose eyes had become accustomed to the dark to go temporarily blind. Fortunately, the new comers, Katie, Alicia, Hannah, Susan, and Earnie, were not as affected by the return of the light and were able to see a barrage of spells that had been fired in their direction. Katie tackled Harry, Alicia grabbed Fred, Hannah pushed Hermione, Susan jumped on Neville, and Earnie knocked Cho in such a manner that they all landed on the ground in a heap that somehow managed to ensnare Luna also. Lupin had pulled Tonks close to his body and cast a shield charm in the direction that he believed faced the Death Eaters. Unfortunately, his shield charm could not resist the power of the killing curse and the pair fell to the ground, together in death in a way that the world had prevented them from being in life.

The others did not have time to become awkward because of the accidental groping that occurred when they went down. If the memory was ever looked upon in a Pensieve more than one of them would end up blushing furiously. However, the Death Eaters had just taken two more of their friends from them and they needed to be stopped. Harry and Neville rejoined the battle and the group was able to finish off the Death Eaters who had escaped the frozen tomb that the youngest Weasley boys and Hermione had inadvertently created.

The group took a moment to pay their respects to the one-time professor of Defense Against the dark Arts. Ernie gave a summary of what had transpired on the third floor briefly reporting the reason that Angelina Johnson was not with them. The Gryffindors present all became somber when faced with Angelina's death. Ernie wouldn't let the group sink into despair and asked Harry to recount what had happened on the first floor. It looked like the corridor had been through a war and that wasn't far from the truth. Once everyone was on the same page Harry and his group agreed with Ernie that it was time for them to join the battle on the ground floor. When they were passing the frozen Death Eaters Katie hit the mass of ice with the Bombarda curse, shattering it and all of the frozen Death Eaters held within. In their haste to get downstairs no one commented on Katies uncharacteristic action.

* * *

In the Great Hall Severus Snape's challenge to Lord Voldemort had caused everyone else in the room to halt their own battle in favor of watching the event that was about to unfold. Severus' absence during the earlier part of the battle had been the elephant in the room that everyone on the light side had tried to avoid mentioning; however, that was excused because he had shown up when things had appeared to be the darkest and was attempting to rise to the occasion in a spectacular manner. Severus was prepared to back his speech with action even though he knew that he did not have a very good chance of winning the upcoming duel.

Severus took another step toward the Dark Lord, although other Death Eaters had been more zealous and had more financial resources it was Severus Snape that the Dark Lord had considered to be his most powerful follower. Severus had exhibited many of the characteristics as a boy that were present in young Tom Riddle Jr. perhaps, if Severus had been born before Riddle, he would have been the one to pick up Grindelwald's mantel as the newest Dark Lord. However, that was not the way things happened, Severus had joined the Death Eaters after being promised riches, power, and influence beyond his wildest dreams. If these things were bought with the lives of mud-bloods and blood traitors then that was a price that Severus had been ready to pay.

Severus had used his powers and abilities as a Potions master to become an invaluable spy for Voldemort's dark regime. He had gathered information that had brought many notable witches and wizards to their untimely demises and had relished in the enemy's inability to counter his skill set. Had it not been for one fateful night, he probably would have continued to serve the Dark Lord and gather information on Voldemort's enemies until he had integrated himself as an integral component to the Dark regime. Once he had succeeded in that endeavor he would have rallied disillusioned followers to his side before staging a coup against the Dark Lord. So really the confrontation was inevitable, however it was the way that Voldemort had applied some of the information that Severus had gathered that brought them to an impasse.

Severus had been wracked with guilt when he realized that the Dark Lord had interpreted a prophesy, that Severus had heard Sybill Trelawny telling Albus Dumbledore, as the promise of one who could destroy him being born to Lily Potter. Based on this train of thought, Voldemort had hunted the Potters day and night until he was able to coerce Peter Pettigrew into joining the Death Eater cause and exchanging the lives of his fellow Gryffindors for his own life. Since Peter had been the Potter's secret-keeper his defection to the dark side had sealed their fate.

Taking one more step toward his former master brought Severus into proper dueling range. Snape wanted the duel to be between himself and Voldemort, so he played the older wizard's ego by giving him the slight bow that duelists exchanged before their duel began.

Voldemort scoffed at the antics of the traitor. "There, was that so hard Severus? You assume your rightful position, bowing to my power."

"You are but a shade of the wizard that banded the Death eaters together all those years ago. You have done much, admittedly," severus paused before continuing. "But it is I who have achieved mastery of this castle. If you wish to take it from me then you will have to defeat me in combat."

"With pleasure!" shouted Voldemort as he whipped his wand above his head to summon the fire from the candles suspended beneath the ceiling and directed the tongue of flame at Severus.

Severus elected to push his magic through the flame in order to create a giant flaming serpant that reversed direction and shot toward Voldemort.

Voldemort decided to bring down the chandelier in order to absorb the magic of the fiery snake. The magical chandelier was able to absorb the magic but, in doing so, it was supercharged with magic and began to melt. Voldemort banished the melting chandelier at Severus and quickly animated the melting arms so that they would wrap around his turn-coat follower.

Snape cast a magical barrier around himself to prevent the burning metal from coming into contact with his skin and then forced his magic outward shredding the metal cocoon that the melted chandelier had formed around his barrier. Reigning his magic in he caused the shards of metal to hover before transfiguring them into a swarm of bees and using the Opugno spell to set the bees on Voldemort.

Voldemort was too wary for this tactic and created a Finite-barrier around his body. As the swarm of bees passed through his barrier they were returned to their original shape before they fell to the ground. Behind his barrier Voldemort eyed his opponent warily as he chided himself for not having prepared the ritual that would allow him to raise the dead as Inferius. Instead he transfirured a giant felled column into a stone golem that was steadily advancing upon Severus.

Severus looked around the room for any base material that could be used to combat Voldemort's creation. Not finding the material he desired, Severus chose to go another route. He pulled a vial from his robes and drank from it. Instantly he was filled with magic. He turned to face the golem and blasted it with an Expulso curse to take it down. Then he used a series of banishing charms to direct the rubble at Voldemort.

Voldemort destroyed all of the rubble that Snape shot at his with a series of incredibly fast blasting curses. It was very impressive for all who beheld, but the strategy was not as fool-proof as Voldemort had anticipated. One of the pieces of rubble that Voldemort blasted was not completely destroyed and a small chip continued in its trajectory and succeeded in making a small cut on the face of the Dark Lord.

This made the Voldemort furious; a dog had turned against its master and would have to be put down. Severus' death had been assured when he interrupted Voldemort's monologue to present himself as Voldemort's opponent. Voldemort began his signature spell-chain with the Relámpago charm and shot a bolt of lightning at his opponent.

Severus was fast enough to get out of the way, but a group of spectators was blasted from their feet near where the spell impacted upon the ground. Realizing what would be coming next, Severus used the Levicorpus spell to lift the body of one of the fallen death Eaters into the path of the bone-breaking curses and the severing charm before slashing back with the Sectumsempra curse.

Voldemort saw the spell that Severus was casting and decided that they would determine who the master of the blood-sword spell was. Voldemort's Sectumsempra slashes countered Snape's as the pair fought an invisible duel with their wands blurring in and out of focus.

Both combatants received several minor cuts during the bout but neither could overcome the other's defense without leaving themselves open to attack. When this was realized they both jumped behind the nearest cover. Voldemort channeled his fury through his wand and attempted to crush Snape by banishing the large chunk of stone that the former head of Slytherin house had chosen to hide behind. Snape managed to heave his body out of the way of the giant stone but his unaturally billowing cape got caught and caused Snape's left leg to be severed by the pressure of the stone slamming into the wall at such a high speed.

Severus' experience with the Cruciatus curse had given his body a resistance to shock; he gritted his teeth as his vision wavered and he knew that his time was running out. He quickly cauterized the wound with a small Incendio spell before he summoned a peg and used a sticking charm to stick it to the stump that remained of his leg. When he stood to face Voldemort's again he knew that the next exchange would, in all likelihood be his last. Be that as it may, Severus Snape was determined to go down fighting.

**AN2: Uh oh, all things are leading to an inevitable confrontation. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter PLEASE review. They do two things: make me want to write and prevent large gaps from appearing between publish dates. **


	23. Converging Paths

**Chapter 23**

Minerva McGonagall was captivated by the duel occurring between Severus Snape and the Dark Lord Voldemort. She couldn't bring herself to turn away; it was her responsibility to bear witness. Over the course of the fight, Minerva failed to notice Kingsley Shacklebolt, Bill, Fleur and Molly Weasley,Septima Vector, and Hestia Jones rallying behind her in support of Severus Snape.

Directly across from them, Gibbon, and Antonin Dolohov, theLestrange brothers, Augustus Rookwood, Walden Mcnair, and Fenrir Greyback watched their master fight, awed by his power and ability. The group had long-since learned that it was unwise to displease their master. So instead of continuing the battle that they had fought prior to Voldemort's arrival the group waited for Voldemort to defeat the traitor so he could personally deal with those who would stand between him and his goals.

Severus' rough prosthetic was better than nothing, but only just. He had realized that there would be much at stake when he challenged the Dark Lord. If the only thing that he lost during the duel was his left leg then he would count himself fortunate. He could not afford to spend too much time contemplating his mortality. Voldemort could sense weakness and would strike with unmatched ferocity in order to make sure that his victim did not escape. Severus' magic was all that kept him from collapsing on the spot and succumbing to the pain of losing his leg. He would have to put everything into his next attack and hope that it was enough; if it wasn't…

Severus Snape had been placed in Slytherin for a reason; the man was one of the most cunning individuals to ever walk through the halls of Hogwarts. Instead of unleashing the remainder of his magic in a frontal attack that someone as powerful and experienced as Voldemort was sure to negate he would lay a trap to ensnare his opponent. Severus used a wandless Diffindo spell to open a small cut on the pointer finger of his wand arm. He stepped out from behind the cover that he had found and resumed his Sectumsempra barrage against Voldemort.

Voldemort had experienced satisfaction when he heard Severus cry out in pain after he had unleashed his banishing spell. Severus must have been injured, that would make this battle that much more enjoyable. Voldemort peered over his cover to see Severus fling himself behind another bit of rubble. Something had appeared to be off in Severus' gait so Voldemort assumed that his opponent's leg must have been injured. Relishing in the success of his tactic, Voldemort prepared to cast another banishing spell in a second attempt to crush the man. However, he was forced to duck back behind his cover when Severus sent a Sectumsempra slash intended to behead the Dark Lord.

Severus had to be very precise in his spell casting otherwise his plan would fail and he would die in vain. Each incredibly precise slash of his wand left a trail of blood on the floor in front of him. Although it had been many years since Severus had studied Runic magic he could never forget the symbol for destruction. His first slash painted the roof of the symbol, a lightning bolt reminiscent of Harry Potter's famed curse scar was nestled under the left half of the initial line. For the final symbol Severus briefly released the magic before recalling it and slashing in a downward motion before curling the tail up to form a "j" that faced the wrong direction. Once more Severus released the magic before he positioned his wand to make the final stroke needed to complete the rune. He cast his curse in an upward diagonal slash starting at the middle of the "j" character and running parallel to the top line of the lightning bolt. With his trap laid Severus dispersed the magic required to activate the rune. The Rune was activated, but Snape was almost drained completely of his remaining power.

After several seconds Voldemort was sure that he had an opening. He stood to his full height and yelled "Crucio," to send the Cruciatus curse at his exhausted opponent. Voldemort was pleased that his spell found its mark. Snape could no longer hold his composure and, consequently, crumpled to the ground. A malevolent grin formed on Voldemort's face when the spell connected.

Severus Snape writhed under the pain caused by Voldemort's Cruciatus spell. As pain wracked his body his mind rushed through scenes of his life. He knew that the dark Lord was closing in for the kill and sought comfort in all that he was able to accomplish. By twitching and moaning on the floor Severus lured the Dark Lord into a state of over-confidence. He heard the shuffling sound of a robed wizard approaching him and knew that only seconds remained until his Runic trap would be activated by the magic of the Dark Lord; the Dark Lord's magic would fuel the destruction spell and hopefully result in the Dark Lord's downfall.

Voldemort continued advancing upon the man that dared to betray him. The duel could not have ended in any other way, Voldemort would not be denied. He raised his wand as he advanced upon the fallen form of Severus Snape. He was twenty feet away, fifteen feet away, ten feet away. When the Dark Lord was five feet away there was a gasping sound. The Dark Lord began the incantation that would allow him to cast the killing curse but was interrupted. The Great Hall erupted in a fiery explosion that blew the spectators off of their feet and caused them to lose sight of the two combatants.

* * *

Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ron, Fred, George, Katie, Alicia, Luna, Cho, Ernie, Susan, and Hannah had just reached the steps when the castle was rocked by an explosion of epic proportions.

"What was that," cried Hannah.

"It's Him," answered Harry. "Eventually, he had to join the battle. Let's just hope that everyone downstairs is alright."

"If it's him should we really be running toward the explosion," Alicia asked earnestly.

"We don't have a choice," answered Harry.

"If we don't face him now then he will be able to regroup and will never stop hunting us," continued Hermione as she shared a glance with Harry.

"Weasley Wizarding Warriors, at your service," Fred and George said at once.

"House Longbottom stands by House Potter," Neville boldly added.

"We have spent the majority of the night fighting Death Eaters, now it's time to bring the boss down; final level," quipped Ernie. "Usually this is when we would find a bunch of power-ups that brought us within striking distance of the Bugger's power. Power-up's or not, I'm with you."

"Harry already received his power-up, isn't that right, Harry," Luna chirped.

"Er, I suppose I did," admitted Harry as he thought about the duel that had occurred in his mindscape.

"I'll stand by you, Harry," Ron said as he offered his hand.

Katie looked at Alicia before speaking for both of them. "It's because of him that Angelina is gone. Gryffindors fly together no matter what they're faced with." Alicia nodded but couldn't bring herself to speak.

"We all have our reasons, Harry," explained Cho. "I will stand against any who seek to gain power at the expense of others. Everyone deserves a chance regardless of their heritage."

"He killed my aunt personally," admitted a pained Susan. "House Bones stands with you."

"I'm not from an Ancient or Noble house, but Susan and her family have always treated me like family. As such, I stand by her in whatever decision she makes. I'm with you also Harry."

"The Sorting Hat would be so proud of us. You saved me from him once, now it's time to return the favor," sang Luna

Hermione slipped her hand into Harry's hand before whispering in his ear, "Til death do us part."

Harry was amazed at the support that his friends were showing him. "Thanks everyone, it means the world to me. But, if you have any reservations about going into this battle then you should stay behind. Voldemort would undoubtedly kill all of you since it would allow him to hurt me."

"If the options are face Him together when we actually may stand a chance now or wait and give him the opportunity to hunt us down, alone, in the future then I think I speak for everyone when I say that we will take our chances here, with you," Hermione answered causing the rest of the group to voice their agreement.

* * *

Up on the sixth floor, another group of students also felt the tremors wrack the castle's foundation. After leaving the Room of requirement Ginny Weasley assembled the Creevey brothers, Nigel Wolpert, and Romilda Vane to act as the last line of defense before any Death Eaters could reach the towers where the non-Slytherin Students had been relocated. The group had wanted to play a more active role in the defense of the castle but the adults had told them, in no uncertain terms, that they were not to leave the sixth floor. The group had assumed that they would not be exposed to actual combat, this made Ginny pretty because she had experienced life-and-death battles against Death Eaters when she had went with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna to the Department of Mysteries.

On the other side of the floor the Patil twins, Lavender Brown, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were carrying out the same mission. They had been animatedly hypothesizing on what could have been occurring on the floors below as they patrolled the corridor. The group had just turned their back on the staircase when they heard a thump. Seamus had fallen to the ground and was not moving. The other members of his group stopped to see what had caused him to fall and were all struck with jets of light before they fell to the floor.

Although the other members of her group were relatively relaxed, Ginny could not shake the feeling that something was off. How long had it been since the others had left to patrol the corridors that lead to the shifting stairway? Ginny did not know the answer, but found it odd that they had not yet returned. Instead of joining in the conjecture about what had been happening on the lower floors, she maintained her vigilance and watched the corridor for any indication that the others were returning. After several minutes of watching she begun to worry, it was possible that the older students had decided to disregard the words of their Head of House and go downstairs but that seemed unlikely.

Since Ginny was the only one focused on that section of the hallway, she was the first to notice the cloud of darkness that was making its way around the corridor and obscuring her view. This was what Ginny had been afraid of. "Everyone get behind cover, we have company!"

The others scrambled to follow Ginny's order but the spell fire had already begun. To Ginny's surprise she was not struck by a jet of green light. Instead, she felt her limbs snap to her sides as she fell, stiff, to the floor. She heard thuds behind her and could only assume that the others had been felled in a similar manner. Before she could contemplate more her world went black and she could feel herself being dragged toward the corridor that the darkness had come from. Her only consolation was that the others were also being moved in a similar manner. When they reached the shifting staircase the smoke dissipated and they found themselves being taken down the stairs as captives.

* * *

In the dungeons, Horace Slughorn had been tasked with keeping the Slytherins from interfering in the battle. It was a sad truth that the majority of the house of Slytherin would join the side of the Dark Lord if they were given the opportunity. The house was known for its cunning and scheming. Even though the majority of his army had been decimated, Voldemort represented ideas that many Pureblood parents respected from the safety of their own homes. Even if they would not declare for him publicly, they appreciated that someone had stepped up as a champion for the old ways.

The Pure Blood society had been on the decline for many years. The group could not accept that the same traditions that had gained them their wealth, power, and influence in the days of antiquity were now the source of the Pure Blood decay. Instead they blamed it on the "mudbloods" and the blood traitors. In their eyes, these groups were always looking for ways to steal what the Pure Blood fore-fathers had endeavored to create. They could not see the benefits of having a diversified society when that meant that they would have to rely on individual merit in order to advance instead of merely being born to the right family.

However, not all members of Slytherin house shared these beliefs. Those who disagreed may not have actively spoken out against them, in order to avoid persecution and being ostracized by others in their house, but neither did they advocate these ideas. Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis were two such people and they felt that they need to fight for what they believed in. They had hid behind masks for too long, tolerating and allowing much that they should have spoken out against. They believed that the Dark Lord would fall and wanted to earn a place in the new order. So they provoked a shouting match between the fifth and sixth year Slytherin males that drew professor Slughorn's attention away from the door before slipping out. They had heard the explosion and knew that they would find what they sought on the ground floor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

* * *

In the Great Hall, Hestia Jones and Kingsley Shacklebolt were the first to rise to their feet. In the wake of the explosion, all of the debris that had been strewn about to floor had been pushed against the remaining walls; the wall that the Death eaters had blasted when they made their entrance had collapsed completely, combining the Great hall with the castle's entrance hall. The gap that had separated the defenders of Hogwarts from the Death deaters had been widened considerably around the area that the explosion had originated. Severus Snape's body had disappeared completely, but Voldemort's remained splayed out on the floor, his skin riddled with burns and his robes smoking.

Slowly the other spectators began to regain consciousness. The only spectators who didn't rise were Septima Vector and Bill Weasley. Fleur did everything that she could think of to make her husband rise and resume his place by her side, but even her vela magic was not strong enough to bring Bill's soul back from the next great adventure. Molly had been paralyzed when she realized that another one of her boys had paid the ultimate price because of the war against Voldemort; her heart had felt more anguish than she thought humanly possible. The wind had been taken from her sails, she would willingly accept whatever fate had in store for her. Hearing of her brothers', Gideon and Fabien Prewitt, deaths during the first war against Voldemort had been awful. Never did she expect that she would be forced to bear witness to the deaths of her husband and two eldest sons.

On the other side of the gap, the Death Eaters were discussing among themselves what they should do. It was agreed that the Dark Lord was still alive because his mark still remained on their forearms. Although he appeared defeated if they left him in this state and he recovered then there would be no end to his wrath. Bolstered by their desire to avoid their master's ire, the Death Eaters resumed their battle against the defenders of Hogwarts. Minerva, Kingsley, Fleur and Hestia put up a valiant defense but were unable to prevent one of the Death Eaters from hitting an immobile Molly Weasley with the killing curse. The Death Eaters pressed their advantage and were pushing the defenders of Hogwarts back.

The Death eaters were certain that they would quickly overwhelm Hogwarts' resistance. In their haste to destroy their foes they left their backs exposed. This allowed two blonde girls dressed in black robes that were adorned with green the opportunity they needed to hit one of the seven Death Eaters with their combined Stunning spells. The Death Eaters had not been expecting any aid to come to their adversaries but had been through enough battles to fluidly adapt to the changing battle conditions. Forming a circle, the Death Eaters defended against the two groups who were closing in upon them. The Death Eaters managed to deftly maneuver themselves so that they were no longer being fired upon by two sides as they positioned themselves so that they were facing the entrance hall as they exchanged spells with their opponents. The battle raged for minutes with neither side being able to gain ground on the other.

Tracy and Daphne had spent much time training with their families so that they would not be caught off guard in the event of a duel. Due to their training they were holding their ground, but they were beginning to feel the effects of continuous spell casting. Though far from exhausted, the pair was becoming visibly winded; the only thing that kept them going was the knowledge that they had to live with the decision that they had made to stand against the Death Eaters. They would have to earn a spot in the new world because the world as they knew it had ended.

The battle raged until a voice rang out through the chaos. "Give up and leave. Your master has been defeated and you are out-numbered. There is nothing for you to gain by staying here."

Both groups shifted their attention to the direction from which the voice emanated. The Death Eaters were as distraught as the Hogwarts' defenders were relieved to see the speaker. Standing where the doorway to between the Great Hall and the entrance hall had been was none other than Harry Potter flanked by Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Ron, Fred and George Weasley, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Luna Lovegood, Cho Chang, Ernie McMillan, Susan Bones, and Hannah Abbot. The Death Eaters were seriously contemplating Harry's words when the sound of clapping cut through the tension in the room.

* * *

Voldemort had not expected Severus to be capable of such an advanced Runic attack given the condition that he was in when towards the end of the battle. Voldemort was irritated that Severus had been able hit him, even partially, with an attack of that magnitude. Given time, his wounds would heal but he would never be given another opportunity to make the whelp suffer. He would have to take his frustrations out on the Potter brat who had, so kindly, come to him. Clapping as he drew himself to his full height, Voldemort drew attention to himself before speaking. "Fine speech, dear Harry. I dare say that the Old Fool would be very proud that you have not tried to hide from your destiny; your destiny to die at my hands! And you were even so hospitable as to bring me targets as a housewarming gift." As Voldemort finished speaking, he channeled all the rage that he had at the Potter brat and the traitor to unleash a massive Relámpago curse that knocked all of those behind Potter off their feet into the entrance hall.

**AN: The symbol that I describe Snape drawing is the Kanji death symbol. If you want to see it in detail a Google Image search is what I did.**

**AN2: The next chapter will be the battle between Harry and Voldemort. I intend to wrap it up in one chapter if at all possible; I would really like to have 50 reviews before I post the final battle. Please help me get to that point so I'm not tempted to postpone the update.**


	24. Captive Audience

**Chapter 24**

"The time has come to finish what we started all those years ago, Harry Potter. You have seen my power and what it does to those who have displeased me; when you survived that curse on Halloween night and, in doing so, undid all of what I had accomplished. Needless to say, this displeased me greatly. I was reduced to a shadow of myself but, still, I persevered. My perseverance and strength of will has known no equal in all of history. I have conquered death and no will avenge myself upon you. Your friends are gone; it's just you and me now. Prepare yourself! You will earn your place in history as the final obstacle that I removed before achieving true immortality!"

Harry was not surprised by Voldemort's monologue; he found it super cliché that Voldemort had to declare his plans before putting them into action but the speech gave him the opportunity that he needed to make sure that his friends were all right. Although the curse was sufficiently powerful to knock them from the room, it didn't appear that anyone had been severely wounded. As Voldemort was speaking about his unique perseverance, Harry turned his attention back to the smoking figure. Harry made a mental note to himself; if he survived he would figure out why smoke was rising from Voldemort's body. Looking around the room Harry realized that his position put him at an advantage; while Voldemort was in the middle of a large clearing with no cover Harry had access to all of the debris that had been lined up along the walls. Harry began to edge toward the nearest stone slab, that had formerly been part of McGonagall's maze, but was stopped when the slab was hit with a jet of white light before exploding.

Voldemort's face stretched in a crude approximation of a grin. He would not let Potter hide from him any longer. His Expulso found its target and caused the slab that Harry was attempting to move behind to explode. "Running away already, Potter. Are you such a coward that you would rather hide than face me like a man? Perhaps you need to be persuaded. Perhaps I should torture and kill all of those who flock behind you and save you for last. Yes, I'll do just that." Voldemort began advancing on Harry, threatening the group behind him.

Harry would not allow this to happen; he squared his shoulders and stood up against Voldemort's imposing figure. "Over my dead body," Harry hissed.

"I was hoping that you would feel that way," Voldemort sneered as he raised his wand. Voldemort had begun to swing his wand to cast a spell against Harry Potter when he sensed a spell flying in his direction. Abruptly dropping his attack, he swung around to see who would dare interrupt him at such a momentous occasion.

"I will not allow you to harm my students," declared McGonagall as she separated herself from the other defenders in the Great Hall.

"The Old Fool was not able to stop me, how could you, his lackey, expect to be able to do so?" questioned Voldemort. "No matter, rise my Death Eaters. Destroy those who stand against me!"

The Death Eaters had been waiting for such an order. They instantly had their wands at the ready and were casting spells at Minerva and those who stood with her; the defenders of Hogwarts sprang to action at the same time. The resulting pyrotechnic display was as mesmerizing as it was deadly. The two groups had fought to a stalemate before the new arrivals and were still having trouble gaining ground and keeping the ground that they gained. The two groups were in lines as they faced off against one another, if anyone stepped out of their line they became an easier target to concentrate fire on and, thus, were almost immediately driven back.

While the groups squared off against each other, Voldemort and Harry were in a deadly dance. Voldemort's threat had reminded Harry why he was fighting. Given the chance Voldemort would not hesitate to strike down Hermione or anyone else who mattered to him; Harry would not allow this monster to kill more people who mattered to him. This conviction was recognized by his magic and allowed Harry to fight as Voldemort's equal.

Voldemort's rage is what drove him. His immediate anger had been caused by the Potter brat standing up to him and refusing to die. He was also enraged that the Snape had managed to temporarily knock him from his feet; Dark Lords did not lose their footing. The rage from Snape's betrayal was like an inferno raging in Voldemort's chest. How many times did the traitor defy him by sharing his secrets with the Old Fool? He was furious because Ollivander had tricked him into killing Bellatrix. To be out maneuvered and forced to kill one of his own opened up a well of shame at the way he had been treated by the children at the orphanage before he had gained control of his magical powers. The treatment that he had received at the hands of muggles and his bastard father was a fiery rage that burned hotter than the fires of Hell. Voldemort's conviction was absolute.

As Harry and Voldemort exchanged spells the Hermione, Neville, Ron, Fred, George, Katie, Alicia, Luna, Cho, Ernie, Hannah, and Susan were making efforts to get back to their feet. Voldemort's spell had been powerful but he had cast it against so many targets that the damage per target had been reduced so that, while the spell caused a great deal of pain, it was not enough to kill any who had been struck. Eventually the group had recovered enough that they began to take note of the scene in the Great Hall. They were astounded by what they saw; Harry and Voldemort were locked in a battle of titanic proportions. They both used a combination of avoiding and shield techniques to nullify the others attacks. Apparently Harry had caught on to the secret of Voldemort's nullification barrier because he had begun to employ it against various spells that the Dark Lord cast against him. When spells were dodged the power of the blasts would gouge deep holes into the remaining walls of the Great Hall. If the two combatants kept firing spells at that level then the battle was more likely to be decided by the collapse of the Great Hall than by one wizard overpowering the other.

* * *

Those who had regained their feet in the entrance hall prepared themselves to join into the skirmish when they were interrupted by the sound of a witch clearing her throat, "Hem, hem." The group turned to see Dolores Umbridge holding Ginny by the hair with her wand pointed at the young witch's throat. Behind her were a group of Death Eaters holding the Patil twins, Lavender Brown, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, the Creevey brothers, Nigel Wolpert, and Romilda Vane in a similar manner. "Now that I have your attention, you will do exactly as I say or your little friends here will experience very severe consequences."

"Don't listen to her it's a tr…" Ginny started to say before Umbridge cast the Silencio spell on her.

"Now, now it won't do to have any of the students here spreading malicious rumors. Now, all of you will lay down your wands. If you fail to do so then each of these students will be given the chance of a lifetime to experience the Avada Kedavra curse, first-hand," chimed Umbridge.

"In this case, if we lay down our wands we will be laying down our lives," whispered Hermione. "Pretend to put your wands down and then throw everything that you have against them."

"Tut, tut, tut, Miss Granger. Don't think that I've forgotten about how you sent me to the centaurs. There will be no plotting from you, you vile girl. Do you know what those filthy abominations forced me to do? I will never forgive you; you will be made to suffer in the same way that I suffered but far worse. When everything is over you will become the plaything of the werewolves that serve the Dark Lord and once they have worn you down and destroyed your beauty you will be nothing more than a snack," stated Umbridge in her sickly-sweet tone of voice. "Now, where were we? Oh yes, your wands. Put them down now, or your friends get it."

The group that Umbridge was addressing appeared to follow her instruction before the hall erupted in a cacophony of light and sound.

Hermione used the Levicorpus spell to hang Umbridge upside down by her ankle causing the woman to lose her hold on Ginny. Ginny fell to the floor and rolled away from the Death Eaters, breaking into a run when she came to her feet.

Neville cast Expelliarmus against the Death Eater restraining Padma Patil. His spell flew true causing the Death Eater's wand to fly into Neville's hand.

Ron decided to use the stunning spell on the Death Eater holding Parvati Patil. Unfortunately the Death eater jerked to the side at the last minute causing Ron's spell to hit the captive twin. He had realized that his first shot was not likely to hit and followed it up with a second spell that successfully hit the Death Eater causing the Death Eater and Padma to slump to the floor.

Fred and George were forced to use the Estampido Sónico spell against the Death Eaters holding Lavender and Dean because both Death Eaters had raised their wands intending to strike their prisoners. Although the sonic booms knocked Lavender and Dean out cold, they would be fine when they woke up.

Katie and Alicia never had the chance to save Seamus or Colin Creevey because the Death eaters had cast the killing curse as soon as Hermione had used the Levicorpus spell to free Ginny. Katie couldn't help but feel that another person had died because of her and was once again wracked with guilt.

Luna and Cho had both unwittingly chosen to attack the same Death Eater. Dennis Creevey had been extremely unnerved when he regained consciousness while being forced to march down the halls of Hogwarts by a Death Eater. He had thought that the group was being marched to die but when he saw his fellow Gryffindors and the others standing with them he was given hope. When Luna and Cho fired their spells Dennis stomped down on the Death Eaters foot causing the Death Eater to lose his grip and allowing Dennis to stumble out of the way of the oncoming spells.

Ernie saw the large Death Eater holding a small red-head boy and was reminded of his favorite muggle cousin. Drawing upon his protective instinct, Ernie launched a stunning curse at the Death Eater but, like Ron, missed and hit the person he was trying to free. Nigel Wolpert went unconscious seconds before the large Death Eater slit his throat with a Diffindo charm.

Hannah and Susan unconsciously banded together against the Death Eater holding Romilda Vane. In perfect synchronization, Hannah used a shrinking spell on Romilda while Susan cast Ricktusempra against the Death Eater. Surprised by his captive shrinking the Death Eater didn't have a chance to shield himself and fell victim to Susan's tickling charm. Hannah quickly stunned the cackling Death Eater.

The Death Eaters that had killed Seamus, Colin, and Nigel continued to fight. The Gryffindors banded together to neutralize the Death Eater who killed Colin, the Ravenclaws took down the Death Eater who killed Colin, and the Hufflepuffs handled the large Death Eater. Ginny, Padma, Dennis and Romilda were given wands and the option to either stay to fight or to return to the safety of the tower. At first all of them had declared that they wanted to stay, but Dennis fell into a faint when he saw his brother and Romilda offered to take him back to the tower out of danger.

The now expanded group magically bound the Death Eaters and locked them in the broom closet nearest to the Great Hall. For the first time in the five minutes, since Umbridge had appeared, the group was able to turn their attention back to what was happening in the Great Hall. Although Harry was still holding his own against Voldemort the Death Eaters were bearing down on the defenders of Hogwarts. Attrition had finally turned the tide of battle in favor of the Death Eaters. Minerva, Kingsley, Fleur and Hestia were losing steam and had been forced into a desperate defensive; Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis were the only reason that the Death Eaters had not already overwhelmed the defenders of Hogwarts. The two Slytherin girls proved their mettle over and over as they protected the wary warriors from the Death Eaters and prevented the Death Eaters from being able to launch spell chains against their adversaries. The group in the entrance hall got over the shock of seeing the Slytherin girls fighting against the Death Eaters and rushed to aid their comrades.

* * *

Voldemort was impressed by how much Harry's skill with a wand had improved. The young wizard showed much potential when he levitated the stone slabs that littered the Great Hall and sent them on a collision course with Voldemort. However, Voldemort rose to his position using force and was very capable of adapting his strategy to the abilities of his opponent. Before the slabs could strike him, Voldemort covered his wand hand with his other hand to symbolize what he intended his magic to do; the tables were stopped mere feet from where Voldemort stood and condensed into a giant ball. Voldemort then banished the wrecking ball at Harry and waited on his foes imminent demise.

Harry saw that his tactic hadn't worked and decided that the best course of action would be stop the ball directly, else it claim the life of one of his friends as collateral. He reached into his magic and shot an overpowered Diffindo charm and split the stone vertically down the middle. Maintaining his hold on his magic, Harry used Leviosa charms to spin the halves of the sphere around and aim the back at Voldemort before banishing them.

Instead of continuing on the current course, Voldemort magically slammed the stones into the ground on either side of the room; one coming dangerously close to where the Death Eaters and the defenders of Hogwarts were fighting. Voldemort cast the Incendio Ampliado charm and turned his wand into a virtual flame thrower aimed at Harry. Harry reacted and cast the only spell that he knew to produce water, Aumuamenti. The spells collided and the resulting haze shrouded the room, making it that much more dangerous for all of the combatants.

* * *

The former members of Dumbledore's Army, Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, Neville, Katie, Alicia, Cho, Luna, Padma, Ernie, Hannah, and Susan, had turned in time to see Harry meet Voldemort's fire blast with his own water blast before the room was obscured by the steam. As much as they wished to help him, they didn't want to get in his way and become a liability. Harry would sacrifice himself if it meant that he could keep any of his friends safe; they could not put him in that position. Additionally, against all odds, it appeared that Harry was holding his own against Voldemort. So the group kept against the wall as they made their way over to where the Death Eaters were assaulting their exhausted comrades. The smoke made it perilous; more than one time the wall that they were walking beside was struck with a spell of such power that they had to stop their progress to make sure that they weren't struck by any falling debris.

Harry's senses were on edge. He was proud of the way that he countered Voldemort's fire attack but had not counted on a magical smoke being created as the byproduct of the two spells meeting. Harry attempted to summon a magical wind to remove the smoke from the Great Hall but found it incredibly resistant to his spell. So he was forced to rely on his other senses to defend against Voldemort. To his great surprise, even through the haze, Harry had a very good idea of where Voldemort was in the room. Even though he was silently casting, whenever Voldemort cast a spell it was as if he shouted "I'm over here!" right before he released the magic. Thus Harry was able to defend himself from some wicked curses and hexes that the Dark Lord sent in his direction. He could only hope that his friends could holdout against the death Eaters, otherwise it all would have been for naught.

**AN: I had considered continuing immediately to the next part of the battle but found that it makes more sense when divided here. I hope that you like the chapter. Please give me some feedback, we aren't quite at the 50 review mark yet. Although this is a rewrite, I still consider it my first story and it would mean a lot if I could hit that review milestone.**


	25. A Contest of Wills

**Chapter 25**

Through the haze that filled the Great Hall, Harry Potter and the Dark Lord, Voldemort, continued their duel. Harry attempted to surprise Voldemort by summoning a trio of serpents to poison the Dark Lord using the Serpentsortia Venenosa spell but found the Dark Lord was invulnerable to snake venom. One of the snakes managed to bite him and promptly burst into smoke. Voldemort was able to use trace the magic that Harry had used to create the other snakes, since they had been made with the same spell, and dispatched them in a similar manner.

Voldemort counterattacked by firing the Relámpago curse at Harry and forcing the boy onto the defensive. Neither combatant had been able to land a decisive hit on the other, consequently Voldemort found himself in the longest battle that he had been a part of in almost twenty years. He had expected this duel to be similar to the one-sided battles that he and Harry had in the past and could not believe that Harry Potter was doing something that only Albus Dumbledore had been able to do. Their battle was at a standstill; despite the advantage in experience, Voldemort could not keep up with Harry's youthful agility. However, his skill compensated for this denying Harry an opportunity to sneak a spell past his guard.

During the duel Voldemort was surprised that Harry's magic had grown to such an extent that the boy's magic was clearly visible to those who knew how to look for it. This allowed Voldemort to cast accurately regardless of the magical smoke in the air. However, Voldemort realized that since the magical smoke had been made as a result of his and Harry's combined magic it would reduce the strength of any magic cast against either of them. This was unacceptable to Voldemort; he didn't have the time to figure out how to remove the smoke magically so he decided that he would force Harry out of the Great Hall and confront him at a location that offered the Dark Lord a greater advantage.

Harry was contemplating how he could break through his opponents guard when something happened that he hadn't been expecting. He felt magic begin to rotate around Voldemort like a tornado before the Dark Lord used the magic to propel himself into the air and through the roof of the Great Hall. "No!" Harry yelled as Voldemort appeared to make an escape. One side-effect of the way Voldemort left is that the smoke that he and Harry created was absorbed into the magical trail that Voldemort left and followed his form out of the castle. Harry spared a glance to see that the Death Eaters had been defeated as he ran to the window to try and see if he could pick up Voldemort's trail. What he saw horrified him, Voldemort was attempting to make Hogwarts Towers fall by destroying flying through, and consequently destroying, their foundations.

"Professor McGonagall, he's trying to take down the towers! If we don't do something then everyone in them will die!" screamed Harry.

Instead of responding, Minerva McGonagall had raced to the doors of the Great Hall and was running as fast as her aged legs would carry her out of the castle. Her battles against Voldemort's army had taken its toll on her but she could not allow her students to be killed by that deranged lunatic. She reached deep within herself and was shocked by the amount of magical energy that she had at her disposal. As a master of Transfiguration, one had to be keenly aware of their own power in order to achieve the desired result of their craft. Minerva was certain that she never had this amount of power before but it felt extremely familiar to her. She rushed out to the courtyard and harnessed her new power as she cast the Arresto Momentum charm to prevent Ravenclaw tower from crashing into the ground. She had no doubt that the students, inside, would be incredibly shaken by the event but at least they were alive. Looking up, she saw the plume of smoke that followed Voldemort's flight path crashing through Gryffindor tower as if he wanted it to meet the same fate as Ravenclaw tower.

It felt like Minerva McGonagall's world went into slow motion as her beloved tower began to fall. She reached for the magic that had allowed her to save Ravenclaw tower but was forced to reach much deeper in order to find the magic. She cast the Arresto Momentum charm but was horrified to feel the magic slip from her fingers and see Gryffindor tower begin to fall despite her attempt to hold it steady. She reached deeper still and did something that she knew she would regret, she began channeling magic from her magical core into the spell. As familiar as she was with the ways of magic, Minerva knew that if she drained her magical core while holding a spell of this magnitude she would die. In spite of this knowledge, she could not allow the tower to fall.

Harry had been able to catch up with McGonagall pretty quickly despite her head start and proximity to the entrance to the Great Hall. He had just reached the courtyard and saw her wand directed to where Ravenclaw tower once stood. He saw the drain on the Professor's face as she set Ravenclaw tower gently on the ground and was momentarily transfixed when she attempted to do the same thing with Gryffindor tower. Harry saw her spell waver and knew that she would fail if she didn't receive support soon. Harry raised his wand and bellowed "Arresto Momentum." The tower held but McGonagall's power reached its limits and she fell to the ground. Without the professor's support Harry immediately noticed how draining the task was. He focused on lowering the tower the last 30 feet as quickly as he could without causing an impact that would kill his fellow students. The energy needed to do so was extreme and Harry worried that he would not have the magical reserves required to face Voldemort again if the Dark Lord chose to engage him again instead of retreating.

* * *

Voldemort had been frustrated when McGonagall had managed to save those in the tower. His consolation was that there was no way that one person would be able to do that twice within such a short time span. He knew that she would attempt, but was equally certain that she would fail and that the attempt would kill her. To his immense surprise and displeasure, the task of saving Gryffindor tower had been taken up by Harry Potter and the young wizard had succeeded. After a quick calculation, Voldemort verified that the amount of power that would have been required to catch then lower a tower of that size was much greater than the amount of power needed to allow one to fly and destroy that tower. If such a thing was possible, Voldemort would have smiled; the boy had once again fallen victim to his need to save others and now would pay the ultimate price. Voldemort flew down to stand opposite his rival in the courtyard.

"I admit, I have been impressed with how you have improved magically. However, surely you must realize that by saving those people you have sealed your fate. You proved yourself capable of battling on equal footing with me in the Great Hall, something that not many have been able to do; but now you have are exhausted and won't be able to defend yourself," taunted Voldemort.

Harry responded by flinging a cutting curse that succeeded in opening a gash on Voldemort's left cheek. "I still have enough to take care of you," he yelled as he began to exchange spells with Voldemort again.

* * *

In the Great Hall, Fleur Weasley and Hestia Jones were attempting to revive those who had fought on the side of light and fallen during the fight. The group that arrived with Harry was able to turn the tables on the Death Eaters but, while they were doing so, several of them were struck by spells that they were not able to detect due to the smoke that filled the room. Although none of them appeared to be hurt beyond what magic could heal, George Weasley, Alicia Spinnet, Padma Patil, Ernie McMillan, and Hannah Abbot were incapacitated and would require a stay in the hospital wing before they were back at 100%; Tracy Davis had also fallen during the battle and would require a stay in the hospital wing. Hestia had initially been amazed that the Death Eaters had not struck the children with lethal spells before she realized that the debris that had been falling because of Harry and Voldemort's duel had been responsible for their injuries.

Kingsley Shacklebolt led the witches and wizards who were still standing from the Great Hall, through the entrance hall, and into the Courtyard. Hermione, Ron, Fred, and Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Katie Bell, Cho Chang, Luna Lovegood, Susan Bones, and Daphne Greengrass were anxious to help Harry. The group had been delayed as Fleur and Hestia had diagnosed their fallen comrades, they had held their collective breath when the two witches had diagnosed each of their friends. The collapsing room had caused many broken bones and several concussions but that was a much more favorable outcome than what would have happened if they had fallen due to the spells that the Death Eaters had been firing. The group arrived in the courtyard just in time to see Harry and Voldemort renew their battle.

Harry had used a lot of energy to save Ravenclaw tower and was much more sluggish than he was when he faced Voldemort in the Great Hall. This allowed Voldemort to fall back on his experience to work on breaking Harry's guard without worrying about Harry being able to slip anything past his own guard. Harry's defense was becoming more and more desperate as the battle waged on. Eventually the Dark Lord was able to break through one of Harry's shields. This gave him the opportunity he needed to hit Harry with a Cruciatus Maxima curse. Voldemort had prided himself on the ability to cast that curse, although the incantation was well known it required so much power that it was simply beyond the capabilities of most wizards. Voldemort knew that he, himself, would feel a severe power drain after launching the attack. However, the drain would be worth it if the spell allowed him to finally rid himself of his adversary.

Harry fell to his knees when he was hit by Voldemort's spell. There seemed to be no limit to the pain he was feeling. Each second that he was held under the spell felt like an eternity he could not help but cry out in pain as each of his nerves screamed for release. Voldemort had Harry at his mercy and was closer to killing the boy than he had ever been before but something was off. Voldemort had expected to experience a feeling of elation when he could finally rid himself of his nemesis, to his surprise he still just felt hollow. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something and this caused him to release Harry from the torture spell.

Harry was still writhing from the variation of the Cruciatus that was rumored to be at least ten times more powerful than its counterpart. While he had been subjected to the curse he had almost given up all hope, nothing could be worth that much pain. Voldemort had done it; he had broken Harry's will to fight and would shortly end Harry's life. Harry could not bring himself to resist his inevitable fate. He knew that he would be killed if he did not rise but after everything that he had been through he didn't know where to find the strength to continue fighting.

"Harry, get up! We're all behind you, don't let him win. I love you!" screamed Hermione. She saw Voldemort land hit Harry with the torture curse and had her heart ripped asunder by Harry's agonized screams. Even when Voldemort freed Harry from the curse, Harry's face was frozen in a silent scream of agony. Hermione knew that Harry needed to be reminded of what was at stake and why he was fighting. "I love you!"

Voldemort looked at the boy who was still on his knees with a far-off look in his eyes. "This is the fate of those who defy me. Some foolishly deluded themselves into thinking that this boy was some kind of savior. He was declared to be the boy-who-lived and the Chosen One. Like so many others in the past he was judged and he was found insufficient. There are two things left in the world for this boy; first he will hear all of your screams as I kill you then he will die," Voldemort declared as he scanned the group that had assembled as the last thing stopping him from taking the castle and obtaining troops to rebuild his army. As his gaze passed from one face to the next, he found his gaze linger on Potter's mudblood whore. For reasons that he could not understand the feeling of hollowness inside of him grew. "I'll start with you, you filthy mudblood."

Voldemort's robes were lifted by the breeze as began to advance upon Hermione and the group assembled on the steps of Hogwarts. As he drew closer, the breeze began to gain intensity as it approached the power of a gale force wind. Voldemort's power allowed him to stay on his feet, but only just. Those on the steps of Hogwarts were buffeted by the wind, but were far enough away that they were not stricken quite as harshly as Voldemort.

"I told you that the only way that you were touching my friends was over my dead body, Riddle. I'm not dead yet, but you will be," declared Harry with a new found strength in his voice. "Come on, it's time to finish what we started."

Voldemort abruptly turned to face Harry. He was amazed that the boy had been able to make it through the pain in order to continue fighting. It was really too bad, Voldemort could have used someone like Harry as a lieutenant in his army. If Voldemort had managed to convert him to the dark-side there is no doubt that the world would fall at the feet of the dark Lord and his dark prodigy. Unfortunately, that was not how events played out and his potential ally had, instead, allied himself with his most dangerous enemy. Speculation would do nothing for the Dark Lord except distract him from his goal of killing Harry Potter.

"Well, well, well. It appears that you are more persistent than you have shown in our past encounters. Worry not, young Harry, you will meet your death at my wand. Even the Chosen one is no match for the Deathstick! Avada Kedavra!"

Harry was ready and, at the same time not pausing to consider the possible ramifications of his action, summoned all of his happiest memories before yelling, "Expecto Patronus!"

The green jet of the killing curse was intercepted by the pulsating white stag that erupted from Harry's wand. Voldemort's blast was not the simple beam that most wizards cast when they fired the killing curse but, then again, Voldemort was no ordinary wizard. He had expunged all of the emotions that could make one weak from his body as he made his horcruxes; all that remained was the hatred and ambition that combined to fuel the rise of one of the most powerful wizards that the world had ever seen. Consequently, Voldemort's Avada Kedavra was much more powerful than the average dark wizards.

His over powered Avada Kedavra curse had been matched by Harry's overpowered Patronus charm. Harry's life had been marred with the blood of those who sought to keep him safe. He would not allow anyone else to die for him; he would protect them and, for once, those who he cared about would be able to live a life free from fear. As a third year, Harry had been able to protect himself and his godfather, Sirius Black, from a host of over 100 Dementors. In the years that followed, Harry had gained much more strength and had made connections with people who he would not hesitate to give his life to protect. This allowed him to cast a Patronus that was far outside the capabilities most of those who supported of the light.

The two spells pushed against each other at an impasse. Harry's stag bucked as it tried to push against the stream of power that Voldemort was using to hold it back but no matter how hard it tried it could not gain any ground. Harry thought of all of those that he sought to protect. He looked over at those who had gathered to support him as he battled for his life against the Dark Lord and saw Hermione's shimmering eyes; he would not make her shed her tears over his dead body. Harry began concentrating on the future that he could share with Hermione and the happy thoughts fueled his Patronus causing the stag to almost double in size while giving it the strength it needed to overwhelm the hate that Voldemort was pouring into the killing curse.

On the other side of the exchange Voldemort poured more hate into his curse. How dare Harry attempt such a direct confrontation with him; he had gone further than any other wizard in history while on his quest to achieve immortality. He would not allow a petulant child to stop him from acquiring what he had earned long ago. He saw the Stag advancing upon him and poured all of his frustration and all of his wrath into his wand and was able to stop the creature from coming closer. The two were once again locked in a stalemate. Voldemort could not understand how anyone, let alone a child, could be able to resist him so fiercely.

A string of memories flashed before the Dark Lord's eyes. He remembered hearing the news that Albus Dumbledore had been killed, dueling Dumbledore at the Department of Mysteries, using the ritual to return to human form, possessing Quirinus Quirrell, being ripped from his body when the curse rebounded all of those years ago, being denied the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, making his horcruxes, graduating as Head Boy from Hogwarts, opening the Chamber of Secrets, avenging himself upon the bastard who fathered him, meeting Dumbledore and learning that he was a wizard, and he remembered how important she was to him.

His conviction wavered as he thought how disappointed in him she would have been in what he had become and how stupid he was to not have realized it when he first met her. The resemblance was there, even though it was obscured by different hair and eye colors. Her insatiable thirst for knowledge made perfect sense as did her unwavering loyalty. Voldemort realized what he was missing and, as Grindelwald predicted, it was too late. She was gone forever and it was because of him. In that moment, Voldemort's hatred gave way to another emotion that Voldemort believed he had purged from his body many years ago. Regret tempered his hatred and the stag was able to overcome his curse.

The stag careened forward and impaled the Dark Lord on its mighty antlers. When the prongs made contact with the Dark Lord the amount of Light inherent in the spell caused all of the evil associated with Voldemort's soul to be purged; this caused the fragment of soul that resided in Voldemort's body to be released into the world as the ashes of his body were carried off by the wind. In one of Voldemort's safe houses, Voldemort's familiar turned horcrux had been sleeping and biding its time until its master returned. When Harry's Patronus came into contact with Voldemort's soul the fragment that had been stowed within Nagini was released in a similar manner reducing the snake to a pile of ash.

**AN: I hope that you enjoyed the story up to this point. I have put in a lot of time writing and polishing in the hopes of giving my audience something that is worth reading. Please take some time to leave me a review. It would really mean a lot to me.**

**AN2: So that's the end of the non-stop action sequences for now. There will be a couple more chapters to wrap up the first part of this story before a time jump that will occur after the conclusion of this part and the beginning of the second part. **


	26. Afterthoughts

**Chapter 26**

Harry had not moved from the spot he stood when he cast the Patronus charm against the Dark Lord. He was afraid that if he moved then he would wake up and he would find that the Dark Lord had not been defeated by his attack, after all. It seemed too good to be true; the Patronus charm was not meant for offensive purposes, it had been created to defend the pure of heart from the darkness that sought to overwhelm and enslave them. Harry was not sure what encouraged him to use the spell against the Dark Lord and was immensely surprised that it succeeded in doing what so many other offensive spells had failed to do. As the seconds ticked by since Voldemort had disintegrated, Harry slumped to the ground completely spent in every sense of the word.

Kingsley Shacklebolt had been a Senior Auror and was one of the most powerful members of the Order of the Phoenix. Like many of the other leading members of the Order of the Phoenix, Kingsley had several conversations with Albus Dumbledore about how the war should be conducted if Dumbledore fell before the war had reached its conclusion. These conversations were very frustrating to Kingsley; like the other members of the Order, he knew the details of Harry Potter's exploits over the years but he couldn't help thinking that it was a folly to put the outcome of the war for the future of the magical world on the shoulders of anyone so young. Harry had proved his abilities and Dumbledore's confidence was infectious but Kingsley could not help but feel that Dumbledore had failed to prepare the boy properly for the task.

When Kingsley had received McGonagall's summon to Hogwarts he was extremely nervous, although one would not have been able to tell by looking at his external appearance. He thought it probable that Harry had been set on a course to sacrifice himself on some bizarre belief of Dumbledore. In the time that Kingsley had spent with Harry, he found that the boy was much more than he was made out to be in the Daily prophet. He was a natural leader that those around looked to for guidance when faced with adversity, he survived and thrived in situations that would have crushed lesser men, he had the skill set to become the next great Master Auror. Kingsley promised himself that he would offer to tutor the boy to make sure that, the next time a Dark Lord rose, the wizard world would be ready. However, there would be time for that in the future; now was a time to celebrate.

Hermione Granger had so many emotions battling for supremacy that she was temporarily at a loss for words. For the third time in two days she had witnessed Harry in battle against Voldemort. She knew that she should be worried when she saw him run from the Great Hall but remembered the scene that she saw in Harry's mental projection of the Chamber of Secrets. She saw Harry reach within himself to find the power that he needed to overcome Voldemort's soul fragment. The battles in the Great Hall and the courtyard once again pitted Harry against one of Voldemort's soul fragments and Hermione knew that he would do what he needed to make sure that none of his friends had to pay the ultimate price for his failure.

Still, her heart had dropped when she saw Voldemort strike Harry with the Cruciatus curse. She was perplexed by the series of events that occurred after Harry had fallen to his knees because of the curse. She couldn't see Harry's face because his back was turned to her but, in a very unexpected turn of events, Voldemort had taken his attention off of his victim and momentarily focused on her. She could have sworn that she saw something change in the monster's expression. When she looked back on the series of events after the adrenaline wore off her confusion would only increase. She had witnessed Harry's victory over the Dark Lord but she couldn't forget the expression that had crossed the Dark Lord's face before he was overpowered. Eventually she would find out what caused the Dark Lord to fall and, in spite all of the odds, allowed her Harry to survive. She didn't even notice that her legs had begun to move her toward Harry.

Ron, Fred, and Ginny Weasley were also teeming with emotions. Their family had paid a very steep price to assure the survival of the magical world. Both their parents and their older two brothers had been killed in the Great Hall and George would require a stay in the infirmary before he became healthy again. The three Weasleys were somber and Ron finally understood what Harry meant when he said that family was more important than any monetary award. Fleur was still alive but they were unsure whether or not the witch would wish to continue her affiliation with the family after her recent husband, and only attachment, had met such a gruesome end.

The Weasley family would never be the same but they would continue fighting for the ideals that their kin had died supporting. The three banded together in solidarity and would do anything within their power to make sure that no other families had to suffer in the way that they did; in the way that Harry did. The young wizard was an inspiration to them all. He faced, what seemed to be, insurmountable odds and still managed to achieve his mission. They had looked on in wonder when Harry's Patronus fought against the Dark Lord's Avada Kedavra curse. If that had been the only part of the battle that they had seen then they would have seen enough to know that the following years would be filled with light. The Weasley family had always been considered a Light family and the survivors of the Battle of Hogwarts would continue upon the path set by their forefathers.

Neville Longbottom was in shock. The past day had redefined his entire life. When he walked through the main doors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a first-year he was considered to be more of a squib than a wizard. He had exhibited accidental magic at such a late age that he had already been classified as a failure by those who were most influential upon his life. He stumbled through his first year classes and lived within the role that those people prescribed to him and did not acquire a good reputation with the other students in his year. He would probably have continued his quiet unobtrusive existence if not for an impulse that struck him at the end of the year to stand up for what he believed it.

He stood his ground against Harry, Hermione, and Ron when they were going to place themselves in certain danger. Retrospectively, he realized that he should have just gone with his fellow Gryffindors but he wasn't ready for that at the time. As a fifth-year, when he had heard that Harry was going on a dangerous mission to the Ministry of Magic, Neville took the opportunity to atone for his inaction. Since then he had come into his own and, with Harry and his friends, stood against and defeated the Dark Lord and his followers. Neville knew that Harry would succeed and, although he had been worried for his friend, knew that Harry would be the last man standing. Neville knew that there was rebuilding to be done and would see to it in due time but now was a time to congratulate his friend.

Katie Bell's face was impassive. If anyone had told her that she would be there to witness Harry Potter defeating the Dark Lord she would have scoffed. She had emerged herself in her Quidditch training and did not expect to be inducted into the resistance movement. When she was meeting with Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson the group had been laughing and enjoying the time that they had to spend together. Now Angelina was gone and they would never be able to do that again; it was almost as if Katie had lost a part of herself when Angelina died.

Harry had avenged Angelina but a small part of Katie whispered that if the girls had never returned to Hogwarts then Angelina would still be alive. She looked at Harry and the others who stood with her in the courtyard and was able to push those thoughts from her mind. The Death Eaters wouldn't be able to harm anyone again. Unfortunately, Katie didn't know if she could continue playing Quidditch; she would be constantly reminded of what the Death Eaters had stolen from Angelina and Katie didn't know if she was strong enough to deal with that kind of emotional stress. Katie's path was filled with uncertainty but she knew that she would find solace with those who believed what she believed. She would embrace those who opened their arms to her and hope that everything would be alright in the future.

Luna Lovegood had a very proud look on her face. She had never questioned whether or not Harry would win his battle against the Dark Lord. She had seen glimpses of his true power several times throughout the last few years. Even when he appeared to be his regular self his power called out to her like a beacon. Harry had won Luna to his side long before the final battle and the young witch would do anything to help him as long as he consented to give the Quibbler the exclusive play-by-play interview of his triumph over the Dark Lord. Luna noted that the Wrackspurts had finally left Harry and knew that it was time to congratulate her friend.

Susan Bones was the lone Hufflepuff among the group who went outside to support Harry. Her sense of loyalty would not have allowed her to do anything to the contrary. She, Hannah, and Ernie had pledged to support Harry in his quest and she had followed through with her promise. She looked at the people that were around her and realized that they had prevailed when the houses had banded together against their external threat. Hopefully the alliances would hold and the future generations would not be so polarized by house loyalty. If she could do anything to make this dream a reality she would do just that. She wished for house unity and would start by going to support Harry,

Cho Chang had gone out on a limb when she pledged her support to the Light side. Her family had already been ostracized by the Death Eater agenda. If the Death Eaters had prevailed then her family's downfall would have been unavoidable. They had already been disgraced and discarded by the Ministry of Magic. Cho hoped that her actions would be remembered by those that were here today. Her intuition told her that this group would have a large role to play in the shaping of the new magical world. She had proved that she was worthy of defending the magical world and would now do everything in her power to show that she could be more than just another witch on the side-line.

Cho imagined what the new world would look like. It was fortunate that it was someone like Harry who had managed to defeat the Dark Lord. If it had been someone sympathetic to the Dark Lord's agenda then Cho's position would not have improved. Luckily Harry was a half-blood who was not one to suffer the Pure Blood prejudices that had, for so long, shaped the magical world and kept it so far behind the muggle world technologically. Cho wanted to be the witch that helped the magical world close that gap and that meant getting the support of those present. Cho knew that the best way to get support was to give support and that is exactly what she chose to do as she started moving toward Harry.

Daphne Greengrass looked on in stunned silence. Harry had done it; he vanquished the Dark Lord and, in doing so, had saved them all. She could not believe that events had turn out so fortunately. Of course, when she slipped out of the dungeons, she had hoped that they would be able to hold off the Dark Lord. However, to actually defeat him was almost beyond comprehension. By slaying the Dark Lord Harry would be considered the most powerful wizard in magical Britain. Was he truly the most powerful wizard in Britain? Daphne was unsure; but she knew that one would have to be a fool to attempt to harm his friends with him present. Daphne believed that Harry would go far and, as a self-respecting Slytherin, had no problem using her new proximity to help her own rise to power and influence.

In the seconds that followed Harry's conquest of the Dark Lord many things happened. When they looked back, no one could remember who started it but the group broke out in a cheer before rushing to Harry and sweeping him off the ground to thank and congratulate him. Eventually the din of voices quieted to a low roar and Harry was given some space to breathe. The group looked at him with admiration and chattered amicably as they reveled in the fact that the light side had triumphed. The group didn't even realize that the students from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers made their way to the courtyard and joined them until they began bombarding Harry and the group with questions. When it was announced that Harry had destroyed the Dark Lord the students went wild and it would be said that the cheer was heard by those in Hogsmeade.

The battle against Voldemort had been decided. Although the fighting had been concluded there was much left to do in order to make sure that the Light side truly won the war. However the Light side had dealt a decisive blow to the forces of Darkness and had an opportunity to fix many of the wrongs that had plagued the magical world for many years. Although the fighting was over, the forces of Light would walk a rocky road as they dealt with the after effects of Voldemort's second rise.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**AN: That's it for A Rocky Road. When I get hit with the inspiration I'll begin the sequel. I could be convinced to start it ahead of schedule if my awesome readers leave me some reviews and let me know they want the follow-up sooner rather than later.  
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**AN2: Be sure to check out my other story A Walk in the Park. I like where the words have taken me with that story.  
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